FCBarcelona and its LaMasia academy continue to dominate the Ballon d'Or, with 21 awards awarded to players linked to the club and 13 of them trained in the youth system. The last installment, that of 2024, saw AlexiaPutellas crowned, who, although she now plays for London CityLionesses, was recognized as the best player in the world thanks to her season at Barça.
Since the creation of the award in 1956, Barça has been the club with the most awards, both in the men's and women's categories. In the men's field, the club has seen 16 players receive the title while they were active in the team or for their merits in the institution: LuisSuárez (1960), JohanCruyff (1973-74), HristoStoichkov (1994), RonaldoNazario (1997), Rivaldo (1999), LuisFigo (2000), Ronaldinho (2005) and Messi (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021). In the women's category, Barça has won six Ballon d'Or awards since 2018, with AitanaBonmatí and AlexiaPutellas sharing the figure.
The absolute record remains LeoMessi's, with eight awards, six of which were obtained while playing for Barça. Trained at La Masia from the age of 13, Messi consolidated his dominance at the club before moving to PSG, where he won his seventh Ballon d'Or. With LamineYamal, who has already been runner-up in 2025 and is expected to reach third place in 2026, the club could approach the number of 16 men's editions in which a Barça player has been awarded.
RealMadrid occupies second position in the club ranking with 12 Ballon d'Ors, all in the men's category. The difference is due to La Masia's ability to produce talents that reach the highest level of individual recognition. Aside from Messi, the academy has produced players such as AitanaBonmatí and AlexiaPutellas, who have contributed significantly to the club's success in the modern era.
The future of Barça seems promising, with young people like LamineYamal who could continue adding to the list of winners. The combination of a world-class youth academy and a high-level competition environment continues to position the club as the global benchmark in the production of elite footballers. With the next season underway, fans and analysts will continue to pay attention to how the current generation of talent will continue to write Ballon d'Or history.