Real Madrid captain praises Barcelona star Raphinha after Ballon d’Or snub

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·2 October 2026

Real Madrid captain praises Barcelona star Raphinha after Ballon d’Or snub

Despite their excellent summer transfer window, one of the main concerns that fans had about FC Barcelona coming into this new season was the lack of a natural, first-team center-forward. The Blaugrana club had lost both Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres during the summer and brought Gabriel Jesus, but the Brazilian was signed and joined the team only after the 2026-27 season had begun.

As a result, Hansi Flick started the new La Liga campaign with Raphinha as his center-forward, and this decision has provided excellent returns for the German coach. The star forward has already scored 14 goals in eight games so far, and is in the best scoring form of his career, even though he has remained one of the most important players for the Catalan club since Flick’s arrival on the bench.

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But despite his incredible performances for both club and country, he was not included in the 30-man shortlist for this year’s Ballon d’Or. His current performances are putting that decision particularly in the spotlight, and several notable voices in world football have criticized his exclusion.

The latest individual to recognize that Raphinha deserved to be on this list was none other than the captain of Real Madrid, Thibaut Courtois. As Diario AS has reported, the Belgian appeared in an interview with Radiostadio Noche, and said the following about the Barcelona star:

“I like him a lot. He is a key player for Barça. He does not always receive the recognition he deserves, but he is a key player for the team.”

With even his rivals recognizing his quality, there is no doubt left about Raphinha’s stature as one of the very best footballers in the world. There was some concern among Barcelona fans about his physical condition, as he had to be subbed out of the match against Australia while playing for Brazil, and has already returned to the Catalan club. Hopefully, this will prove to be only a scare, and Raphinha will continue playing at the level he has shown so far this season.