Thierry Henry has tipped Barcelona’s Raphinha as the leading contender for the 2025 Ballon d’Or, placing him ahead of Mohamed Salah and Harry Kane in the race for football’s top individual prize. While the award won’t be handed out until October in Paris, Henry believes Raphinha’s Champions League form has given him an early edge.
The Brazilian winger has been in sensational form, scoring 11 goals in just 10 Champions League appearances this season. His latest brace in Barcelona’s 3-1 victory over Benfica took his total tally across all competitions to 27 goals. What makes his stats even more impressive, according to Henry, is that Raphinha does not take penalties and contributes heavily in other areas of the game.
“Raphinha is ahead in the Ballon d’Or race because of what he’s doing in the Champions League,” Henry said on CBS Sports. “Salah and Kane are great contenders, but Raphinha is scoring without penalties while also defending, pressing, and helping his team in multiple ways.”
Salah and Liverpool saw their Champions League hopes end at the last-16 stage against PSG, while Kane’s Bayern Munich dominated Bayer Leverkusen to reach the quarter-finals. Barcelona, meanwhile, advanced past Benfica and will face either Borussia Dortmund or Lille in the next round.
Kane remains a strong contender for the Ballon d’Or, with 32 goals in all competitions this season, 10 of which have come in the Champions League. If he can lead Bayern to Bundesliga and Champions League glory, he could become the first Englishman since Michael Owen in 2001 to win the award.
Despite Henry’s backing of Raphinha, bookmakers currently have Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe as the favorite. The French superstar has netted 29 goals so far this season and is aiming to guide Real Madrid past Atletico Madrid in the Champions League’s last-16 second leg.
With several months of football left to play, the Ballon d’Or race remains wide open. A Champions League triumph could be the defining factor in determining whether Raphinha, Salah, Kane, or Mbappe takes home the coveted prize.
Regardless of the outcome, Henry believes Raphinha’s well-rounded contributions set him apart. “When people talk about being complete, they forget the defensive side,” he added. “Raphinha does it all—pressing, defending, creating, and scoring.”