Simeone hails ex-Sporting star after Barcelona v Atlético Madrid | OneFootball

Barcelona defeated Atlético Madrid last Tuesday, December 2nd, by 3-1, in a match brought forward from the 19th round of La Liga. Raphinha was one of the highlights of the game, scoring the equalizing goal in the first half of the match.

At the end of the match, Diego Simeone praised the former Sporting player: "Raphinha is an incredible player. He can play in any position, as a winger, midfielder, forward, or even as a full-back. He can score, create, press, and run. I have no idea how he hasn't won the Ballon d'Or."

It’s worth remembering that the most recent Ballon d'Or award—which was given to Ousmane Dembélé of PSG—sparked a lot of controversy. In the final ranking, Raphinha ended up only in fifth place, which generated a lot of debate.

In fact, the former Sporting winger has even vented about the issue: "I felt undervalued, I deserved much more. On the collective side, we missed out on the Champions League. The individual awards, I can't control. It's more complicated. I'm satisfied, I had a spectacular season."

It’s worth recalling that Raphinha wore the green and white stripes. The Brazilian winger joined Sporting in the 2018/19 season, coming from Vitória de Guimarães, and left at the start of the 2019/20 season for Rennes. In total, the forward played 41 matches, in which he recorded nine goals and two assists.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.