Raphinha "explodes" after his absence in the FIFPRO Team of the Year

Yesterday afternoon, the ideal teams FIFPRO World 11 Male and Female of 2025 were announced, formations that usually feature the most outstanding footballers of the year. However, as often happens, some absent names generate controversy. This time, it was Raphinha who openly expressed his discontent after not being included among the best of the season.

An explosive reaction on social media

The Brazilian forward, who finished fifth in the Ballon d´Or voting, published this morning a series of 17 stories on Instagram where he appears alongside the trophies won with FC Barcelona during the previous season. In them, he also highlighted all his goal contributions from last year, making clear his disagreement with the FIFPRO result. Several of these posts are accompanied by three laughing emojis, ironically reflecting his annoyance at the exclusion.

The eleven chosen by the players

The FIFPRO World 11 Male 2025, voted by over 26,000 professional footballers from 68 countries, was made up of: Donnarumma in goal; a three-man defense with Achraf, Van Dijk, and Nuno Mendes; in midfield, Pedri, Vitinha, Cole Palmer, and Bellingham; and in attack, Mbappé, Lamine Yamal, and Dembélé.

The criticism of the selections

The presence of Bellingham and Palmer ahead of Raphinha has generated surprise among many Barça fans, as well as the player himself. The performance of the Englishman from Real Madrid, affected by ongoing shoulder issues, did not reach the expected level. As for Palmer, despite winning the Club World Cup, his performance was lower than in his first season with Chelsea.

An outstanding season ignored

For his part, Raphinha completed the best campaign of his career, being decisive in winning three titles with Barcelona and in the team´s reaching the Champions League semifinals. The winger, aged 28, finished the 2024-25 season with 34 goals and 22 assists, figures that placed him as the second player with the most goal contributions of the season, only behind Mohamed Salah, another major absentee from the eleven. Despite those impressive numbers, the Brazilian did not secure a place in the FIFPRO World 11 Male 2025, which has caused his evident anger and a wave of debate on social media.