FC Barcelona has just made a major statement in the transfer market.

The Catalan club accelerated negotiations and secured the arrival of Rodri Hernández as a brand-new signing.

The 2024 Ballon d'Or winner unexpectedly ended his stint at Manchester City and joined Hansi Flick's project ahead of the 2026-27 season.

The Spanish national team captain, fresh from winning the 2026 World Cup, signed his contract and became the latest addition to the Blaugrana squad.

Rodri's signing is nothing new. Throughout its history, Barcelona has invested in stars and boasted many male Ballon d'Or winners.

The 30-year-old midfielder became the eleventh winner of the award to wear the Barça jersey. Below, we look back at the previous ten.

Ballon d'Or winners who have played for FC Barcelona

  • Luis Suárez Miramontes
  • Johan Cruyff
  • Allan Simonsen
  • Hristo Stoichkov
  • Rivaldo
  • Ronaldo Nazário
  • Ronaldinho
  • Luís Figo
  • Lionel Messi
  • Ousmane Dembélé
  • Rodri Hernández

FC Barcelona and its history with the ‘Ballon d'Or’

Barcelona and the Ballon d’Ballon d'Or have been linked since the 1960s. Back then, Luis Suárez Miramontes won the award whilst playing for the Catalan club.

Then came the era of Johan Cruyff, who won the award twice as a Barça player (1973 and 1974), having previously won it with Ajax.

In the 1990s, Hristo Stoichkov (1994) and Rivaldo (1999) were also recognised for their performances at the club. Later, in 2005, the Brazilian Ronaldinho took home the trophy.

The most successful winner in history is Lionel Messi. The Argentine won six of his eight Ballons d’Or whilst playing for FC Barcelona.

Other footballers have won the award at different stages of their careers. Allan Simonsen joined Barcelona in 1979, two years after winning the Ballon d'Or with Borussia Mönchengladbach.

Ronaldo Nazário’s case is unique. He won the award in 1997 for his performances at Barcelona, although he received it whilst already playing for Inter Milan. He went on to win it again in 2002.

Luís Figo won it in 2000. He earned the accolade during the first half of the year at Barcelona, but received the trophy months later, after he had moved to Real Madrid.

The latest name on the list is Ousmane Dembélé. The Frenchman played for several seasons at Barcelona, but only won the ‘Ballon d'Or’ in 2025, thanks to his outstanding performances for PSG.

They caught up with Real Madrid

Signing Rodri allows Barcelona to match a historic tally held by Real Madrid, the club with the second-highest number of Ballon d'Or winners in history.

In this regard, first place goes to AC Milan, which has had a total of 12 winners in its ranks.

Since the award’s inception, the Madrid-based club has seen no fewer than 11 ‘Ballon d'Or’ winners pass through its dressing rooms.

Ballon d'Or winners who played for Real Madrid

  • Alfredo Di Stéfano

  • Raymond Kopa

  • Ronaldo Nazário

  • Zinedine Zidane

  • Luís Figo

  • Michael Owen

  • Fabio Cannavaro

  • Cristiano Ronaldo

  • Kaká

  • Luka Modrić

  • Karim Benzema

Thus, after securing the signing of Rodri, Barcelona also became the club with the second-highest number of Ballon d'Or winners in history.

How will Rodri fare at the Catalan club?