Barcelona star Raphinha has spoken about his Ballon d’Or snub and says he was upset because he felt he deserved to win the prestigious Golden Ball.
Raphinha enjoyed a stellar season with Barcelona, winning three titles and helping Hansi Flick’s side reach the Champions League semi-finals.
However, Ousmane Dembele ended up being crowned the best player in the world, a decision that caused Raphinha plenty of heartache.
“I was upset. I expected more. I expected to be in the top 3 at least,” he told Sofascore (via Barca Blaugranes).
“I knew winning would be difficult because the Champions League weighs a lot. So I was upset with the position I ended in. But I understand it involves many things I cannot control. Many things that are complicated to keep highlighting.
“What I can say is that I’m very satisfied with the season I had — and no individual award will erase what I did last season.”
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Raphinha was then asked where he would rank himself and says he deserved top spot.
“I would place myself in first place! Stop making that little noise! If it were… in my understanding… it’s a tic.
It is my understanding that an individual award cannot be based on a single competition,” he added.
“Based on that, I think I deserved to be first for what I delivered during the season, for the titles I won, for the numbers I achieved, and for everything I contributed on the pitch. I think I deserved to win.
“As it is an award that is practically based on a single competition, Dembélé deserved to win, especially since he also had a spectacular season. Lamine also had a spectacular season.
“But, in my view, if it were something based on the season itself, I think I deserved to win the award.”
