Pedri and Raphinha Miss Out on This Year's Ballon d'Or Shortlist, Deco Leaves 'Laughing Crying' Emojis in Romano's Comments Section

On September 8, the 30-player shortlist for the 2026 Ballon d'Or was officially announced. Surprisingly, Barcelona's first and second captains, Raphinha and Pedri, were both absent from the shortlist.

Later, according to screenshots circulating online, in the social media comments section of Romano's post reviewing players who missed out on this year's Ballon d'Or, Barcelona sporting director Deco left multiple 'laughing crying' emojis, drawing the attention of many fans.

Raphinha and Pedri's omissions also became a major talking point after the Ballon d'Or list was released. In particular, Raphinha, who finished fifth in the 2025 Ballon d'Or rankings, had previously been considered one of the Barcelona players with the best chances of making another push for the award.

Last season, Raphinha made 33 appearances for Barcelona, contributing 21 goals and 8 assists, helping the team win the La Liga title and the Spanish Super Cup. These individual statistics and team honors made his omission this time appear quite unexpected.

Pedri's situation also sparked discussion. Last season, he recorded 2 goals and 12 assists for Barcelona and helped the team win two trophies. In addition, Pedri won the World Cup with the Spain national team.

Perhaps for some reason, Deco later deleted the reply, and the message can no longer be seen in the social media comments section.