FIFA's announcement of the 2025 FIFA FIFPRO Men's World XI sparked a wave of controversy in the global sports community after the exclusion of Brazilian star Rafinha, winger for FC Barcelona. Barcelona's German coach, Hansi Flick, broke his silence to fiercely defend his player, describing the decision as incomprehensible and lacking any logical basis.
Explosive statements from Hansi Flick
During the press conference before the La Liga match against Villarreal, Flick made no secret of his deep frustration, stating: “The FIFA Best XI is a bad joke and completely unacceptable. The absence of Rafinha is unbelievable. His impact was phenomenal, and he was the Champions League top scorer. This is absurd; it’s a real joke.” These words reflect the level of frustration within the Catalan club, which feels that its collective and individual achievements have not been given the recognition they deserve by football’s governing body.
An exceptional season and numbers that speak for themselves
Flick's and Barcelona fans' anger is based on compelling statistics. Rafinha had a historic 2024-2025 season, being the cornerstone of Flick's project that brought Barcelona back to winning ways. The Brazilian star led his team to a historic domestic treble (La Liga, Copa del Rey, and Spanish Super Cup), and he didn't stop there, capping his individual performance by winning the Champions League top scorer award, a rare achievement for a winger, making his exclusion a strange precedent in the history of individual awards.
Angry reactions and widespread ridicule
The controversy didn't stop with the coach's comments; it extended to the player's teammates and family. Richarlison, the Tottenham and Brazilian national team striker, sarcastically commented on social media, "Is Rafinha playing volleyball?" accompanied by a mocking emoji, alluding to FIFA's disregard for the player's footballing achievements. Rafinha's wife simply expressed her frustration with a single word on Instagram: "Unfair," reflecting the general sentiment among the player's fans.
Controversial backgrounds and selection criteria for the awards
Historically, The Best FIFA Men's Player and World XI awards have faced criticism regarding their voting criteria. The World XI relies primarily on votes from professional players worldwide, which sometimes makes it susceptible to being influenced by the immense popularity and past achievements of certain big names, rather than focusing solely on performance in the season in question. This selection process always opens the door to debate about whether the awards reward actual performance or the players' marketability, as appears to have been the case with Rafinha.
The expected impact on Barcelona and the player
This exclusion is expected to have a dual effect. On the one hand, it may provide Rafinha with extra motivation to prove the voters wrong and continue his impressive performances in European football. On the other hand, this situation reinforces the unity within the Barcelona dressing room under Flick, who has shown unwavering support for his players, thus solidifying the "us versus them" mentality often used by top clubs to motivate their players to achieve more titles. The question now is how FIFA will address this growing criticism of the credibility of its annual awards.
