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Neymar Calls Ballon d'Or Rankings 'Absolute Joke' As Ousmane Dembele Beats Yamal & Raphinha

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Farah Ben Gamra | Last updated Sep 23, 2025 7:24 AM ET

Neymar, the Brazilian star and ex-Paris Saint-Germain forward, expressed anger at the 2025 Ballon d’Or results, labeling Raphinha’s fifth-place ranking “an absolute joke.”

The ceremony on September 22nd, 2025, at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, featured Ousmane Dembélé, as the PSG man was awarded the men’s Ballon d’Or, following an outstanding season where Dembélé was part of the historic season of the PSG squad, which won the Champions League for the first time.

Raphinha, on the other hand, also had a decent season with Barcelona, but Neymar didn’t like that he was 5th and went to social media to say it’s “a joke”.

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Neymar has kicked off the never-ending Ballon d’Or debate again, reminding us all how it’s all subjective. Every year fans and experts fight to figure out who should be at the top and this year is no different.

Neymar himself has never won the Ballon d’Or. His best finishes were third in 2015 and again in 2017 after Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, which shows that not all the most talented players in the world get to win it.

2025 Ballon d’Or Men’s Top 5

Ousmane Dembélé (PSG)
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona)
Vitinha (PSG)
Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
Raphinha (Barcelona)

Rankings often reflect opinions as much as performances, and Neymar’s very public stance is a constant reminder that even the best players in the world and the most committed fans can disagree on what “the best” really means.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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