Barcelona midfielder Gavi has named who he thinks should win the 2025 Ballon d\u2019Or \u2013 and it\u2019s not Raphinha or Lamine Yamal.<\/p>\n
Barcelona secured a convincing 3-1 victory (4-1 on aggregate) over Benfica in the Champions League round of 16 at the Llu\u00eds Companys Olympic Stadium on Tuesday night. While Gavi made a brief appearance, the spotlight was firmly on Lamine Yamal and Raphinha.<\/p>\n
The Brazilian winger delivered a stellar performance, scoring twice and assisting Yamal\u2019s stunning first-half goal. His contributions have been outstanding this season, with 46 goal involvements in 41 appearances.<\/p>\n
Speaking on TNT Sports, former Bayern Munich and Manchester United midfielder Owen Hargreaves praised Raphinha\u2019s form, even suggesting he could be in the Ballon d\u2019Or conversation.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can argue that with his numbers this season, [Raphinha] is in contention for the Ballon d\u2019Or,\u201d Hargreaves said. \u201cHis finishing has been outstanding; he\u2019s captain of the club and has been a revelation. Right now, you could say he might be leading the race for it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hargreaves also compared Raphinha\u2019s stats to Mohamed Salah\u2019s, acknowledging the similarity in their goal and assist tallies.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have to win the big trophies to be in the Ballon d\u2019Or race. Right now, it\u2019s probably Salah leading, but Raphinha is very close,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
With Barcelona advancing to the quarter-finals, Raphinha\u2019s impact continues to grow, and if he maintains this form, he could emerge as a serious contender for football\u2019s top individual prize.<\/p>\n
With no major international tournament this summer, the 2025 Ballon d\u2019Or race will be determined solely by club performances, unlike last year when Rodri edged out Vin\u00edcius Jr. after helping Spain win Euro 2024 and guiding Manchester City to Premier League glory.<\/p>\n
However, Barcelona midfielder Gavi believes there is one player who deserves the award above all others\u2014his teammate Pedri.<\/p>\n
\u201cNobody deserves the Ballon d\u2019Or more than Pedri. Everyone knows what kind of player he is,\u201d Gavi told reporters after Barcelona\u2019s 3-1 victory over Benfica.<\/p>\n
Pedri, now 22, previously won the Kopa Trophy and Golden Boy award in 2021 but has struggled with injuries in recent seasons. Despite this, his talent remains unquestioned.<\/p>\n
The Spanish international has long expressed his ambition to win the Ballon d\u2019Or, acknowledging the challenge that comes with it.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope I have the opportunity to be [a Ballon d\u2019Or winner]. It\u2019s a very complicated prize,\u201d Pedri told SPORT in 2022. \u201cYou must be the best in the world, and I still have a lot to learn and improve before that day comes.\u201d<\/p>\n
With Barcelona advancing to the Champions League quarter-finals, Pedri has a platform to prove himself on the biggest stage. If he can stay fit anddeliver in crucial moments, he could emerge as a strong contender for football\u2019s most prestigious individual award.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Barcelona midfielder Gavi has named who he thinks should win the 2025 Ballon d\u2019Or \u2013 and it\u2019s not Raphinha or Lamine Yamal. Barcelona secured a convincing 3-1 victory (4-1 on aggregate) over Benfica in the Champions League round of 16 at the Llu\u00eds Companys Olympic Stadium on Tuesday night. While Gavi made a brief appearance, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":35373,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n