Because the flip of the century, the variety of Barcelona Ballon d’Or winners has grown to 6 completely different gamers by way of the boys’s award, with the brilliance of Leo Messi making certain a participant from the Catalan membership has been voted the world’s greatest on 12 events.
That’s a joint document together with Actual Madrid, with LaLiga’s huge two the dominant forces when it has come to the award lately.
1960 was the primary 12 months a Barcelona participant received the boys’s Ballon d’Or. Since then, there was a blaugrana recipient in each decade, apart from the Eighties and thus far the 2020s.
With Barca presently flying beneath Hansi Flick, that might doubtlessly change in 2025. Lamine Yamal and Robert Lewandowski are among the many early favourites, in line with sportsbooks featured by Gamble USA, to win the large prize subsequent 12 months.
Barcelona have additionally been dominant when it has come to the Girls’s Ballon d’Or. The prize has solely been handed out six occasions in complete thus far, however a Barca participant has received it on 4 events.
Barcelona Ballon d’Or winners
| Participant | Yr(s) of Ballon d’Or win |
| Luis Suarez | 1960 |
| Johan Cruyff | 1973, 1974 |
| Hristo Stoichkov | 1994 |
| Rivaldo | 1999 |
| Ronaldinho | 2005 |
| Leo Messi | 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019 |
Luis Suarez (1960)
A Barcelona participant by the identify of Luis Suarez is a earlier Ballon d’Or winner, though it may not be the one you’re pondering of.
Born in A Coruña in 1935, Spain’s Luis Suarez was one of many greats of his period, shining for Barcelona throughout a six 12 months spell, earlier than in the end shifting to Italy to play for Inter Milan and Sampdoria.
Suarez received the Ballon d’Or in 1960 in the direction of the tip of his profession in LaLiga. Maybe his most necessary contribution that 12 months was a brace for Barca in a 2-2 draw on the Santiago Bernabeu within the first leg of a European Cup tie between Spain’s huge two. The Catalans went on to win the tie 4-3, ending Actual Madrid’s five-year successful streak within the competitors.
Whereas Barcelona would in the end lose the ultimate to Benfica in Suarez’s final match on the membership, the Galician was the primary Spanish-born participant to win the boys’s Ballon d’Or, and surprisingly the one one till Rodri’s latest success.
Johan Cruyff (1973, 1974)
Whereas Suarez is at present not that well-known outdoors of Spain, Barca’s subsequent Ballon d’Or winner was unquestionably one of many all-time greats.
Johan Cruyff had already received the award in 1971 as an Ajax participant and having helped encourage the Dutch membership to a 3rd straight European Cup in 1973, he made the transfer to Barcelona that summer time starting what would turn into a lifelong affiliation with the membership.
Cruyff was a Barca participant by the point the 1973 Ballon d’Or was awarded, though in reality it was largely his efforts for Ajax that sealed that win.
In his first season at Barca, Cruyff helped encourage the Catalans to a primary league title in 14 years. He was additionally one of many defining figures on the 1974 World Cup because the Netherlands reached the ultimate the place they have been upset by West Germany, so it was no shock when he received that 12 months’s Ballon d’Or too.
Hristo Stoichkov (1994)
20 years later, Cruyff was now deep into his profitable stint as Barcelona coach and he had one of the crucial devastating strikeforces within the enterprise with Brazilian legend Romario, partnering the long-lasting Hristo Stoichkov in assault.
Stoichkov had already narrowly missed out on the Ballon d’Or in 1992, the 12 months of Barcelona’s first European Cup, with Marco van Basten the one participant to complete forward of him within the voting that 12 months.
The striker scored 16 targets as Barca received LaLiga once more within the 1993/94 season, but it surely was Stoichkov’s potential to guide unfancied Bulgaria to the semi-finals of the 1994 World Cup, scoring six ties within the competitors to share the Golden Boot with Russia’s Oleg Salenko, that sealed his 1994 Ballon d’Or success.
Rivaldo (1999)
5 years later, Rivaldo turned Barcelona’s first South American recipient, with the Brazilian winger successful the vote forward of Andriy Shevchenko and David Beckham.
Rivaldo had been the driving pressure behind Barca’s 1998/99 league title win, scoring 24 targets to narrowly end second behind Raul in that season’s Pichichi race.
Brazil have been additionally Copa America winners in 1999, with Rivaldo scoring 5 occasions, together with a brace in a 3-0 ultimate win over Uruguay, and his potential to gentle up the soccer pitch along with his easy fashion and aptitude, ensured Rivaldo turned the fourth Barca participant to obtain the Ballon d’Or.
Ronaldinho (2005)
By the mid 2000’s, it was one other Brazilian who had taken centre stage because the world’s greatest. Whereas Ronaldinho’s peak was shorter than a number of the different modern-day greats, Barcelona received the easiest out of him.
Ronaldinho was a significant motive why Frank Rijkaard’s staff ended a six-year watch for a significant trophy by successful LaLiga 2004/05, though the Brazilian was arguably even higher the next season when the Catalans efficiently defended their Spanish title and in addition received the Champions League.
It was 2005 somewhat than 2006 when he was rewarded with the Ballon d’Or although, changing into solely the third Brazilian recipient after Ronaldo and Rivaldo.
Leo Messi (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019)
LaLiga and certainly the Ballon d’Or award headed into a brand new period with the constant brilliance of Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo which stretched from the late 2000s and deep into the 2010s.
Throughout Barca’s golden years beneath Pep Guardiola, Messi received the award in 4 consecutive years, already shifting away from Cruyff, Van Basten and Michel Platini who had every received the award a joint document thrice previous to that.
Champions League glory and 58 targets in membership soccer throughout the 2014/15 season helped guarantee Messi received his palms on the prize once more, whereas he was voted the world’s greatest for the sixth time as a Barca participant in 2019.
Since leaving Barcelona in the summertime of 2021, Messi has since prolonged his document to eight Ballon d’Or wins in complete.
Barcelona Ballon d’Or Feminin winners
| Participant | Yr(s) of Ballon d’Or win |
| Alexia Putellas | 2021, 2022 |
| Aitana Bonmati | 2023, 2024 |
The feminine model of the award continues to be in its infancy, having solely been handed out for the primary time in 2018. Since 2021, it has been a story of Barcelona dominance, with the Catalan membership’s all conquering ladies’s staff unrivalled on the home and European stage lately.
Alexia Putellas was the feminine sport’s excellent participant in the beginning of the last decade, scoring 60 targets in all competitions for Barca throughout the 2020/21 and 2021/22 seasons. She was integral because the Catalans received the UEFA Girls’s Champions League for the primary time and was the worthy recipient of two Ballon d’Ors.
Putellas has suffered harm issues lately although, along with her Barca teammate Aitana Bonmati rising because the dominant midfielder in world soccer. Over the previous couple of years, Bonmati has received every little thing, securing two extra Champions League titles at membership degree.
Spain’s victory on the 2023 World Cup ensured she was the apparent selection for that 12 months’s Ballon d’Or. She just lately efficiently defended her crown, making it a 4 12 months successful streak for Barca gamers by way of the large particular person prize within the feminine sport.
Which present Barca gamers might problem for the Ballon d’Or?
At simply 17, Lamine Yamal is already working on the type of degree that places him within the Ballon d’Or dialog and it appears inevitable that the younger winger will win the award sooner or later sooner or later.
If Barcelona can construct on a robust begin to LaLiga 2024/25 and go on to win the title, while reaching the latter phases of the Champions League, they might have numerous gamers within the operating for the 2025 award. Lewandowski is probably the obvious different candidate with the Polish striker scoring at a fee of higher than a aim per sport thus far this time period.
The likes of Pedri, Pau Cubarsi and Gavi additionally clearly have huge futures forward of them, though they don’t seem to be seen as Ballon d’Or candidates simply but.
By way of the Ballon d’Or Feminin, Bonmati might take some stopping once more in 2025, whereas her membership and worldwide teammate Salma Paralluelo might be a contender following successive third place finishes. Occasions on the UEFA Girls’s Euro 2025 might go some strategy to figuring out the winner although.
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