Barca fans expected Raphinha and Lamine Yamal to sweep all the UCL awards after a record-breaking season under Hansi Flick. Instead, PSG’s Ousmane Dembele and Desire Doue took the honours. No doubt the French stars shone bright at the highest stage, but did they deserve it? Did UEFA once again prioritise the final over the entire campaign? Let’s break it down.
Raphinha & Yamal Robbed Despite Historic Campaigns
Raphinha’s 24/25 UCL season was more than just good: it was sublime. The Brazilian scored 13 goals and nine assists, and matched Cristiano Ronaldo’s all-time UCL single-season G/A record (21) with this. Yamal, Barca’s young prince, terrorised defences with his sensational dribbling skills, creativity, and clutch performances.
Yet, just because Barca fell in the semis, their season-long dominance in the new UCL format was ignored. If individual awards are based on merit, not just team success, how do two players who outperformed everyone lose out? The answer lies in UEFA’s obsession with the grand finale.
Rewarding the Final, Not the Season: A Flawed Logic?
I really do not want to take anything away from the PSG stars. Dembele was simply brilliant in the final. Young Doue’s two-goal master class was also a treat for neutral fans. But should one game outweigh the entire season?
Raphinha and Yamal carried Barca through every round. The PSG players, however, shone only when it mattered most. If we are judging the best players, not just the last players standing, I think that this voting system is broken.
Similar Trend in the UEFA Team of The Season?
The UEFA Champions League team of the Season also dropped out today, and a similar trend can be witnessed there as well. Barcelona’s ace midfielder Pedri Gonzalez, who dominated midfield, ran miles with the ball at his feet and won MVP after MVP, did not make it to the team. Instead, Declan Rice, whose extraordinary contribution was those two brilliant free kicks against Real Madrid, made the team.
Again, we can see UEFA judging the entire season based on a couple of good games. In my opinion, Pedri not making it to the UEFA team of the season is an absolute crime. Yet, the best we can do right now is sigh out of sheer disappointment.
Barca’s Semi-Final Exit Proven Costly
Most Barca fans who watched the 2024/25 UCL finale in Munich were really disappointed. If Barca had scraped past Inter Milan in the semi-final, we’d be talking about Yamal lifting the Young Player award and Raphinha as Player of the Season.
Instead, their legacy is reduced to simple ‘what ifs’. It’s a cruel reality that individual awards are often too tied to team success, even when the players themselves did everything right.