Raphinha’s reaction to when Dembele was announced as a balloon d’Orwinner says it all

But when the name Van Dembele echoed the Brazilian by the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. He smiled. He clapped.

Ousmane you did it! #Ballondor pic.twitter.com/0eiclvxuxn

– Ballon d’Or (@ballondor) September 22, 2025

He embraced his former Barcelona teammate. It was a moment of pure sportiness and fans on X (formerly Twitter) noticed quickly, although some people do not agree.

One said: he is just a simple guy

A second fan said: so people can’t be happy for other people nowadays that they have to hate someone to be happy for someone else, these are people for football players, Dembele earned this price and Raphina earned it above Yamal

A third fan said: Bro knew it was better for Dembele to win than Yamal who travels herself ????

Another said: Bro knew the PR Yamal got it, so he is happy that Dembele won it ????????

An added: For you can be happy for others. Something that your Saudi fraud cannot relate. Or your Madrid player who doesn’t even like each other

Another claimed: No, it’s just that Raphinha is not small like Mbappe who should support his national teammate

Earlier in the evening, Raphinha CBS Sports had told: “In my opinion we both earn a lot, we would be very happy that the balloon d’Or is going to Barcelona.”

And although Dembele now wears PSG colors, it remained sentiment. Raphinha’s reaction was not just about losing gracefully – it was about celebrating greatness, even if it is not yours.

Dembele, who received the prize of the Brazilian legend Ronaldinho, acknowledged the collective effort behind his success:

“I want to thank all my teammates. I want to thank FC Barcelona, ​​the club of my dreams. I played with Lionel Messi, I want to thank him too, I learned so much from him.”

But it was Raphinha’s silent grace that resonated the most with fans. In a sport that is often dominated by rivalry and ego, his reaction reminded us that football is still a brotherhood.