Former Leeds United star Raphinha ahead of Kylian Mbappe, Mohamed Salah and more as Ballon d'Or favourite
Leeds United’s former winger is enjoying an incredible season at Barcelona.
Raphinha’s status as one of the world’s best has been cemented this week as Leeds United’s former winger becomes the standalone favourite to win this year’s Ballon d’Or.
The Brazilian enjoyed another standout performance on Sunday as Barcelona beat title rivals Atletico Madrid 4-2 to retain top spot in La Liga. An assist for Ferran Torres helped Hansi Flick’s side fight back from 2-0 down to draw level at 2-2 before added-time goals from Lamine Yamal and Torres ensured all three points returned to Camp Nou.
Raphinha was named as captain for Sunday’s top-of-the-table clash and that assist took the winger onto an incredible 47 goal contributions in 42 appearances across all competitions for the season. A tally of 27 goals includes 11 in 10 Champions League appearances as Barcelona emerge as favourites for La Liga and Europe’s most prestigious competition.
Should Raphinha lead his side to domestic and European glory, then he will surely be a serious contender for the 2025 Ballon d’Or, which will be awarded in October. And it appears the bookmakers’ are already predicting his incredible run of form to continue, with Oddschecker placing him out in front of anyone else as favourite to be named the best player in the world.
Raphinha Ballon d’Or odds
At the time of writing, the former Leeds winger is priced at 9/4 for the award, which represents an implied probability of him winning at 30.8%. Those latest odds are a significant drop from a January price of 20/1, highlighting the incredible run of form he is currently enjoying.
And Raphinha is now ahead of Real Madrid superstar Kylian Mbappe and Liverpool talisman Mohamed Salah, priced at 5/2 and 13/2 respectively. Salah in particular endured a tough six-day period last week, with his side eliminated from the Champions League by Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday before defeat to Newcastle in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday.
Salah struggled to stamp his mark on either game and has now scored just one goal in his last eight finals for club and country, with questions raised as to whether the 32-year-old can still do it on the biggest stage. Ousmane Dembele played a huge part in PSG’s Champions League last-16 win at Anfield and is now priced at 8/1 for the Ballon d’Or, while Raphinha’s 17-year-old Barcelona teammate Lamine Yamal is at 10/1.
Did Leeds put a Ballon d’Or clause in Raphinha’s transfer?
But it is the former Leeds man who sits above all others as outright favourite, with Oddschecker reporting a massive 29 per cent of bets placed on the Ballon d’Or market since Sunday have tipped Raphinha to win it. Should he go on to claim the iconic trophy, then he will be the first ever winner who has played for the Whites at some point in his career.
The 28-year-old left Elland Road for Camp Nou in 2022, having kept Leeds from Premier League relegation with a goal in their final-day win at Brentford. A drop into the Championship would have seen Raphinha free to leave for a release clause believed to have been worth around £25million, but instead Leeds agreed a deal worth £55m.
A portion of that total amount is believed to be linked with certain add-ons related to Raphinha’s performance or the success of Barcelona with him in the squad. There has been no confirmation what might trigger said bonuses but Spanish media have previously suggested the presence of a £10m bonus if they win the Champions League.
As far as Ballon d’Or-related clauses go, Raphinha has never looked so close to winning for it to be a point of interest. But as October’s ceremony closes in, there could be more clarity on whether such a clause exists.
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