A sarcastic comment embarrassed the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) after announcing the lineup of the 11 best players in the world for the “The Best 2025” awards, after the absence of Brazilian Rafinha, the Barcelona winger, sparked a wide wave of criticism and ridicule within football circles, especially in Brazil.
FIFA announced the ideal lineup for the 2024-2025 football season during the “The Best” awards ceremony, amid a resounding surprise by excluding Rafinha, despite the remarkable levels he performed with Barcelona, and his prominent role in crowning the Catalan team with the local treble.
The surprise quickly turned into widespread controversy, after a sarcastic comment by Richarlison, the Tottenham and Brazilian national team striker, on a FIFA post on his official Instagram account, where he wrote: “Does Rafinha play volleyball?”, in a direct reference to the illogicality of his absence from the best squad.
Richarlison was not the only one who commented, as Rafinha’s wife joined the wave of objections, and wrote on her personal account a brief comment in which she said: “Injustice,” in a direct expression of dissatisfaction with the FIFA decision.
This comes in light of Rafinha’s strong season, both in terms of numbers and influence on the field, which made his absence open the door to questions again about the selection criteria for “The Best” awards, which have faced repeated criticism in recent years.
