There are usually controversial omissions from the 30-man nominee list for the Ballon d'Or but snubbing Raphinha is right up there with the very worst.
The Barcelona star shockingly missed out on a nomination for the award along with his club teammate Pedri. While he wasn't at his best during the World Cup with Brazil amid injury issues, he finished last season with 21 goals and eight assists in 33 games across competitions.
The Catalans' sporting director Deco is among those to have found Raphinha's failure to make the list laughable. But for the player himself, he remained focused on the task at hand on Wednesday night as Barca kickstarted their Champions League campaign at home to Feyenoord.
Raphinha Stars as Barcelona Thrash Feyenoord
Hansi Flick's men cruised to a 5-1 win over the Dutch outfit and Raphinha starred alongside Lamine Yamal. The Brazilian opened the scoring in the third minute, knocking Yamal's clever pass past the opposition, switching back onto his left foot to take two defenders out before slotting home.
Karim Adeyemi then bagged his first goal for the Blaugrana in the 22nd minute. Raphinha was at it again in the 57th minute, this time making an instinctive run onto Pedri's through ball and easily finding the back of the net.
Yamal managed to get on the scoresheet himself in the 77th minute before Sem Steijn pulled one back five minutes later. New signing Gabriel Jesus put the icing on the cake in the 85th minute as Flick's side lived up to their status as one of the tournament's favourites.
Raphina was at his scintillating best, completing three of four dribble attempts, making four key passes and winning six of nine ground duels. He toyed with defenders at times and didn't let the Ballon d'Or drama cause any distraction on an excellent night at Camp Nou.
Focus is all on Barcelona Not Ballon d'Or
Raphinha's performance was the perfect response to his Ballon d'Or snub. Handed the captain's armband by Flick, he's not only thriving but he's showing the right mentality.
After the win over Feyenoord, the former Leeds United winger sent a telling message about where his priorities lie. He told reporters (via Fabrizio Romano):
"I'm not talking about the Ballon d'Or, I'm talking about Barcelona. We're having an exceptional season right now."
Barca are enjoying an exceptional season as they remain perfect in all competitions and five is proving to be their number. Before tonight, they beat Valencia 5-0 on Sunday and have secured victories over Elche by the same scoreline and Rayo Vallecano 5-2.
