Hype vs. Hard Work: How Consistency is Being Overshadowed by Glamour

Under the Paris lights, Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembélé made history by winning his first-ever Ballon d’Or, the most prestigious individual award given to the player deemed to have performed the best over the previous season. The honor, awarded on September 22, capped off a spectacular season with Paris Saint-Germain, where Dembélé helped lead the team to a historic treble.

Yet the discourse following this year’s ceremony was focused less on who won and more on the controversial rankings that preceded first place. At just 18 years old, Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal finished second in the Ballon d’Or and won the Kopa Trophy for the world’s best U-21 player. His sudden rise to stardom, combined with his skill and hype, is undeniable. Yet many—especially Barcelona supporters—question whether the craze around him has come at the expense of more senior players, like Barcelona forward Raphael Dias Belloli, known as Raphinha, who have done just as much, if not more. 

Yamal’s rise has been nothing short of a fairy tale. As a La Masia prodigy, he made his first-team debut at just 16 years old and soon became the youngest goalscorer in club history, as well as a starter on the Spanish national team. In the 2024/25 season, Yamal recorded 18 goals and 25 assists in just 55 games, establishing himself as a leading force in keeping Barcelona a threat in both the Champions League and La Liga. With his tricky dribbling, precise shooting, and lethal passing always delivered with a touch of flair, it’s easy to see why he has often been compared to Barcelona legend Lionel Messi. But while Yamal dominates the media’s spotlight, Raphinha has quietly outperformed him on the pitch. 

Raphinha, a 28-year-old winger, has arguably been Barcelona’s most consistent and productive contributor this past season. He led the team in goal involvements, recording 34 goals and 25 assists in 57 matches, and he was named La Liga Player of the Season. Raphinha was a dominant force in the Champions League as well, where he led the team in goal contributions and earned the record for the most non-penalty goal involvements in a single UCL season. Even so, he placed fifth in the Ballon d’Or, which surprised many soccer fans. Even more shocking, Raphinha received zero first-place votes, while Yamal garnered 11. This clearly displays the issues with how the media and fans have overlooked the Brazilian’s shining achievements in their pursuit of crowning Yamal as the “new Messi.” Such bias directly impacts Raphinha’s chances, as the Ballon d’Or winner is determined by a panel of 100 journalists from the top FIFA-ranked countries. 

It’s not that Yamal doesn’t deserve the praise he receives. However, it is fair to argue that Raphinha should have placed second instead. The hype surrounding youth and potential often overshadows actual performance, and it quickly sways fans’ perceptions and judgments. Barcelona fans often shift narratives around young players like Yamal, treating them as the team’s backbone and already-proven stars rather than developing and rising talents. 

These high expectations often add unnecessary stress on young talents, with many former Barcelona youngsters, such as winger Ansu Fati and forward Bojan Krkić, struggling to live up to their potential. Both were victims of the media’s spotlight, which set expectations sky-high for both of them, and criticized them when they couldn’t meet them. Fati was the victim of a serious injury, which greatly derailed his path to stardom and drew lots of disappointment and criticism. Krkić was subjected to constant scrutiny under the unrelenting spotlight and developed serious anxiety. 

Krkić has also shared his opinion on the media’s obsession with trying to find the next star for Barcelona, saying, “We want everything in the moment. [We] don’t value what we have, and we don't value ourselves. Sometimes we value the person next to us more, and that sometimes takes away the satisfaction that we could have if we felt and observed what each one of us has.” This relates to how the fixation on young talents like Yamal has left veterans like Raphinha battling for recognition, a narrative that makes its way to journalists and ultimately Ballon d’Or voting.

Veterans such as Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah, Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane, and Raphina are starting to lose recognition and appreciation simply because they are no longer “new.” This is reflective of a broader trend in football where hype generated from social media and younger fans takes precedence over consistency and performance. The glamour and flair of young talents like Yamal are celebrated more than the steady, season-long consistency of veteran players. While the Ballon d’Or rankings are intended to reward the best players of a season, the most recent rankings suggest that we are rewarding players for what they might become rather than what they have actually accomplished.