Sports News of Thursday, 29 January 2026Source: www.ghanaweb.comMonths after the 2025 Ballon d’Or ceremony crowned Ousmane Dembélé as the world’s best player following his treble-winning season with Paris Saint-Germain, Raphinha has reopened the debate. Dembélé’s Champions League triumph with PSG ultimately tipped the scales in his favour, underlining how decisive Europe’s premier competition can be in shaping Ballon d’Or narratives. Reflecting on the outcome months later, Raphinha made it clear he felt his consistency across the entire season merited more recognition. “I think I deserved to be first in the Ballon d'Or for the titles I won, numbers I achieved and everything I contributed. It's mainly an award based on a single competition (UCL), and Dembélé deserved it too, but if we talk about the overall season, I think I deserved to win, yes,” he told SofaScore.

Source: GhanaWeb January 29, 2026 18:36 UTC