Getty Images Sport'I don't know how he didn't win the Ballon d'Or!' - Diego Simeone heaps praise on Raphinha after seeing 'incredible' Barcelona star torment Atletico Madrid defence
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Additionally, ExpressVPN's Basic plan includes the ExpressMailGuard, which offers a 10MB/month private email relay plus 10 shared aliases.
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Over 28 monthsSave 80%
Advanced protection across 11 devices with high-speed VPN
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Those that sign up for ExpressVPN's most popular plan, the Advance plan, gain access to a high-speed VPN, which offers high-capacity 40Gbps servers in many high-demand locations, with VPN servers in 113 countries worldwide.
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Additionally, ExpressVPN's Advanced plan includes the ExpressMailGuard, which offers a 100MB/month private email relay plus 50 shared aliases and a custom domain, and ExpressKeys, which gives users a password management facility for an unlimited number of passwords plus a 2FA authenticator.
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Getty Images SportBallon d’Or snub leaves Simeone stunned
Despite the disappointment of the result, Simeone was in no mood to hide his admiration for one of the players who undid his team. In his post-match comments, the Atletico manager offered a glowing assessment of Raphinha’s performance.
"Raphinha is an incredible player," he said. "He can play everywhere. As a winger, as a midfielder, as a striker, or even as a wing back. He can score, can create, he presses and runs. I don’t know how he didn’t win the Ballon d’Or. For me, I would choose him always."
Raphinha finished fifth in this year’s Ballon d’Or rankings, despite registering over 60 goal contributions and helping Barcelona lift three trophies. The prize went to PSG’s Ousmane Dembele, who won a treble with the French outfit, with 17-year-old sensation Lamine Yamal taking second place. Vitinha was third, and Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah came in fourth.
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Getty ImagesWhat comes next for Barcelona & Atletico Madrid?
The defeat brought an end to Atletico’s seven-match winning streak across all competitions, pausing the momentum they had built over recent weeks. Their focus now shifts to a demanding run of fixtures to close out 2025, starting with a trip to Athletic Club on Saturday, followed by league meetings with Valencia and Girona, then a crucial Champions League encounter with PSV. Barcelona, meanwhile, continue their climb, buoyed by confidence and a growing belief that they can sustain their latest title push under Flick. The win marked the Catalan side's fifth consecutive league win and carried them four points ahead of Real Madrid, who play on Wednesday.
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