The wife of Barcelona winger Raphinha was left in disbelief after her husband was a surprise omission from the FIFA Best Men's XI for 2025, announced at the annual awards ceremony in Doha, Qatar.
Social Media Outburst Over Snub
Moments after the team was revealed, Natalia Rodrigues took to social media to voice her bemusement. According to Portuguese publication A Bola, she posted a now-deleted Instagram story that read: 'Is Raphinha a basketball player?'
The Brazilian forward was one of several high-profile names left out of the select eleven, alongside Manchester City's Erling Haaland and Liverpool's Mo Salah. The chosen lineup featured Gigi Donnarumma in goal, a defence of Achraf Hakimi, William Pacho, Virgil van Dijk and Nuno Mendes, a midfield of Cole Palmer, Jude Bellingham, Vitinha and Pedri, and an attack of Lamine Yamal and Ousmane Dembele.
A Stellar Year Overlooked?
Raphinha's omission comes despite the former Leeds United player enjoying a phenomenal 2024-25 season. He contributed 34 goals and 26 assists as Barcelona won LaLiga and reached the Champions League semi-finals.
Those exploits saw him finish fifth in the 2025 Ballon d'Or rankings and beat his teammate Lamine Yamal to the LaLiga Player of the Year award for the 2024-25 campaign. His absence from the FIFA XI may be linked to an injury-hit current season, where he has managed just 10 appearances for the Catalan club.
Other Major Award Winners
At the same glittering event in Doha, Paris Saint-Germain's Ousmane Dembele was crowned FIFA Men's Player of the Year after a historic season with 51 goal contributions in 53 games. His clubmate, goalkeeper Gigi Donnarumma, took the Best Goalkeeper award.
On the women's side, Spain and Barcelona's Aitana Bonmati made history by winning the FIFA Best Women's Player award for the third consecutive year. England manager Sarina Wiegman was named Best Women's Coach for a fifth time, while PSG's Luis Enrique won the men's coaching award.
England's Euro-winning goalkeeper Hannah Hampton was named Best Women's Goalkeeper, and she was joined in the Women's Best XI by compatriots Lucy Bronze, Leah Williamson, and Alessia Russo.
FIFA states that the awards are judged on 'on-pitch performance and general conduct on and off the pitch' for players, and team performance and behaviour for coaches.
