Despite recording 56 direct goal contributions (34 goals, 22 assists) for Barcelona in 57 appearances last season, the Brazilian winger finished fifth in the 2025 Ballon d'Or voting. Paris Saint-Germain's Ousmane Dembele won the award, while Lamine Yamal, Vitinha and Mohamed Salah all ranked above Raphinha. After France Football and L'Equipe decide the 30-player shortlist, one journalist from each of the top 100 countries in the FIFA rankings then votes for their top 10, with points being awarded based on their position.
When I played at Dinamo, they told me that if I wanted to win the Golden Ball, I would have to play for Milan. In Ukraine, it is not even clear how we manage to play, but the importance of football is that it is a hope for many children. In all these years of the war, I have understood that there are no impossible things.
"He has all the makings of a Ballon d'Or winner," said Planes (h/t MARCA), who had played a key role in convincing Barcelona to sign the player from Las Palmas. Since then, the midfielder has appeared in 221 competitive matches for Barcelona, even recently breaking Lionel Messi's record for being the youngest ever Barcelona player to make 150 La Liga appearances for the club.
The Milan derby is a fixture steeped in history and there have been some huge names to play in it, with a new addition to the list coming. As Tuttosport (via MilanPress) report this morning, the derby will see a Ballon d'Or winner return to the pitch thanks to Luka Modric's arrival. He joined from Real Madrid in the summer on a free transfer, and he ends a drought that has lasted for over 10 years.
'It's the same with (Erling) Haaland or any player. You have to be winning those major trophies. With the way the season is going with Bayern Munich, it looks like we're in great shape. It looks like we're one of the favourites for the Champions League. It's the same with England. I think we're going to go into the tournament as one of the favourites.'
Football crossword, folks? Welcome to the 26th edition of FourFourTwo's Weekend Crossword: for the last six months, we've been providing you with the definitive cryptic puzzle on the beautiful game to keep you sane on a Saturday. So let's get testing that ball knowledge as we dig into teasers and testers, all in the form of your typical paper crossword and remember to sign in to tell us how you scored.
British football icon and captain of England women's national football team Leah Williamson has seemingly confirmed her relationship with Miss USA 2021 winner, Elle Smith. Leah Williamson was in attendance at the 69th Ballon d'Or ceremony, which marks achievement in football, in Paris on 22 September. The Arsenal player was nominated at the ceremony for the 2025 Ballon d'Or Fémenin, while Arsenal won the Women's Club of the Year accolade.
Nearly 30 years have passed since a German footballer last won the Ballon d'Or, the sport's most prestigious individual prize. In 1996, Matthias Sammer was awarded the trophy on the heels of a European Championship victory for his country and just several months before he would go on to win the Champions League title with his club, Borussia Dortmund. Even before Sammer, German footballers had seen considerable Ballon d'Or success, particularly in the 1970s and early 80s.
