"Raphinha, 29, scored 34 goals and provided 26 assists in all competitions last season as Barça won LaLiga, the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Supercopa at the same time as reaching a first Champions League semifinal since 2019. However, the former Leeds United forward was snubbed when FIFA's Best XI for the year was revealed last Tuesday, with teammate Lamine Yamal, Ousmane Dembélé, Cole Palmer and Jude Bellingham among those included ahead of him."
""Raphinha was the player in this team with the greatest influence," Flick continued. "In the Champions League, he had 22 goal contributions, the best in the Champions League. "When you see the matches he played, how many goals he scored, the assists he had, it's unbelievable. This is really not fair to him. For me, it's a joke. I can't believe it because after the season he had, he deserved it. It's unbelievable.""
"The team is voted for by national team head coaches, captains, journalists and fans. Gianluigi Donnarumma, Achraf Hakimi, Willian Pacho, Virgil van Dijk, Nuno Mendes, Vitinha and Pedri completed the lineup. Raphinha received a total of 12 points in the vote, which was also fewer than Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappé, two other high profile omissions from the team."
Barcelona coach Hansi Flick publicly criticized Raphinha's exclusion from FIFA's Best XI, calling the omission a "joke" and unfair. Raphinha scored 34 goals and provided 26 assists across all competitions as Barcelona won LaLiga, the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Supercopa while reaching the Champions League semi-finals. The Best XI was chosen by national team coaches, captains, journalists and fans and included several Barça teammates. Raphinha received just 12 points in the vote, below other notable omissions, despite recording 22 Champions League goal contributions and returning from injury with recent goals.
Read at ESPN.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]