"He's ahead" - Arsenal icon Thierry Henry backs Raphinha for Ballon d’Or

Raphinha is undoubtedly one of Barcelona's biggest sensations this season. At 29 years of age, the Brazilian winger has reached his peak, as evidenced by his 27 goals and 17 assists in 41 games this season so far.

Despite sharing a front line with the gem Lamine Yamal and prolific striker Lewandowski, the former Leeds player is the one who leads the attack for the 'Cules' and once again he did so against Benfica. 

Raphinha scored a brace to secure a 3-1 win over Benfica and a place in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. 

France and Arsenal legend Thierry Henry, speaking on CBS Sports, said the Brazilian is usually the clear candidate to win the next Ballon d'Or, putting him ahead of other favorites such as Mohamed Salah, Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr.

"He’s up there. Raphinha is ahead for me now. He’s scored 11 goals in the Champions League. Mo Salah is a great candidate, Kane is a candidate, and Dembele depends," he said. 

"If you do well in the Champions League and also win your league, obviously you’ll have a chance,” he explained. "Raphinha is at his best, with a lot of goals and only one penalty. It’s incredible, but we need to talk a little bit more about him.” 

"What Raphinha is doing, besides defending in pressure? Because when you are a complete striker you also have to know how to press, defend, help the fullback and press well. There are many things to do and Raphinha does them all,” he concluded on the matter.