Raphinha claim about facing Lionel Messi and teammates speaks volumes about confidence of Ballon d’Or contender

03/24/2025 08:09 AM

Barcelona's Raphinha oozes confidence ahead of facing Argentina in international clash as the Ballon d'Or speculation continues.

The 28-year-old Barcelona forward recently sat down with former Barca player and Brazil legend Romario ahead of Brazil's World Cup qualifier.

Romario boldly asked Raphinha if Brazil would triumph over Argentina, especially now that they're without Barcelona royalty, Lionel Messi.

Messi has been excluded from the 26-man Albiceleste roster due to a muscle injury in his left adductor, sustained during a recent match with Inter Miami against Atlanta United.

Raphinha confidently told Romario: “We will beat them, no doubt. On and off the pitch, if we have to.”

“Are you going to score a goal against Argentina?” Romario asked.

“Yes, with everything…” Raphinha said.

Romario sensationally replied: “F*** them?”

“F*** them," Raphinha agreed.

With Messi's absence, Raphinha's confidence feels all the more justified, especially amid the swirling Ballon d'Or chatter.

During his discussion with Romario, the prestigious football accolade came up, with the Brazilian great asking if the thought of winning the award had ever crossed Raphinha's mind.

"It's only natural that it would cross my mind, and if I told you otherwise I would be lying.

"But I try to put that aside and focus on my personal goals in my career, whether in terms of scoring goals, making assists, or winning titles.

"I think if I achieve all the goals I wrote in my notebook by the end of the season, the possibility of winning an individual award will be very high.

"But I don't like to focus too much on the Ballon d'Or or any individual award because thinking about it too much can become a distraction.”

The conversation around Raphinha winning the next Ballon d'Or also came up following his stellar performance against Benfica, which secured Barcelona's place in the Champions League quarter-finals.

TNT Sports' Owen Hargreaves and Steve McManaman hailed him as a 'lead contender' for the award after the match.

“You can argue that with his numbers this season, [Raphinha’s] in contention for the Ballon d’Or,” Hargreaves said on TNT Sports.

“His finishing has been out of this world; he's the captain of the club, and he’s been an absolute revelation. I think currently you would say he might be in the lead for the Ballon d’Or.”

Meanwhile, Liverpool star Mohamed Salah is also among the frontrunners for the prestigious award, boasting a remarkable tally of 32 goals and 22 assists this season for the dominating Premier League leaders.

Hargreaves and McManaman agreed that the outcome of the Ballon d'Or voting may ultimately hinge on which player shines brightest during the Champions League campaign’s climax.

“Salah and Raphinha have similar numbers in terms of goals and assists, which is quite remarkable,” Hargreaves said.

“You have to win the big trophies. If you win the big ones, then you've got a chance. I think right now it’s probably Salah, but Raphinha is very close.”

McManaman said: “He needs to be discussed. We talk about Mo Salah, and rightly so, but you have to put this gentleman [Raphinha] in the conversation.

The 69th edition of the award is set to take place around October 2025, granting Raphinha ample opportunity to showcase his talents before then.

Brazil's match against Argentina is scheduled for the 26th of March at midnight, UK time.