Who would have even suspected, when he was still at Rennes, that Raphinha would one day be a serious contender for the Ballon d’Or? Not many, to be honest, but this season, the Brazilian has developed a taste for the irrational.
With 27 goals and 19 assists in 41 matches, he now puts paid to the idea that he isn’t decisive enough to be a top player. Yesterday, he scored another brace against Benfica (3-1) to help Barça qualify for the quarter-finals. On the CBS Sports show Golazo, Thierry Henry even made him his favorite for the Ballon d’Or.
“Raphinha is leading the race for the Ballon d’Or,” the French legend said. “Yes, he’s leading it, for what he’s doing in the Champions League with his 11 goals.
Mo Salah is a great contender too, the same for Kane, Belli (Bellingham, editor’s note). Raphinha has scored a lot of goals, but with only one penalty. Mind you, I’m not saying that Kane only scores penalties, and it’s the same for Salah, who is having a Premier League season that we won’t see again any time soon. But Raphinha is a complete player, who presses, defends, helps out in defense. He has all those qualities.”
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