Neymar hits out at Ballon d’Or results: ‘Too much of a joke’

Ousmane Dembele won the men's Ballon d'Or for the first time after leading Paris Saint-Germain to victory in the Champions League. The final rankings saw Dembele in first place, followed by Barcelona's Lamine Yamal in second, PSG's Vitinha in third, Liverpool's Mohamed Salah in fourth, and Barcelona's Raphinha in fifth.

Neymar criticized the Ballon d'Or rankings, specifically describing Raphinha's fifth-place finish as a "joke" in an Instagram comment. Raphinha had a record-breaking Champions League campaign, scoring 13 goals and providing eight assists as Barcelona reached the semi-finals, surpassing Lionel Messi's previous record from the 2011-12 season. He also scored 18 goals to help Barcelona win the LaLiga title, leading Neymar to express disappointment that Raphinha did not rank higher.

Dembele, who was signed by Barcelona in response to Neymar's move to PSG in 2017, initially struggled but transformed under PSG manager Luis Enrique after joining in 2023. Last season, he scored 35 goals and made 14 assists in all competitions, becoming Ligue 1's top scorer as PSG won the title. His Champions League performance, including two assists in the 5-0 final win over Inter, was key to his Ballon d'Or victory over Yamal.