In the last 4-5 years, the Barcelona Femeni side has cemented themselves as the Greatest Club on the Planet in Women’s Football. And that has translated into their consecutive representation at the Ballon d’Or ceremonies. The last 4 Femeni Ballon d’Or winners have been Barcelona Femeni players. Alexia Putellas won the Golden Ball in 2021 & 2022, while Aitana Bonmati won the Ballon d’Or in 2023 and most recently, last weekend in 2024.
This was not their only achievement at the Ballon d’Or ceremony this season though. Just like their men’s team did in 2011, the top 3 on the Ballon d’Or Podium were all FC Barcelona players. In 2024, Aitana Bonmati, Caroline Graham Hansen and Salma Paralluelo ranked 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the Ballon d’Or rankings. This sort of dominance begs a really important question.
What’s So Special About FC Barcelona Femeni?
The answer to this question isn’t quite straightforward. In fact, it is very multidimensional. Firstly, FC Barcelona possesses the biggest and the most renowned Youth system in the world of football, La Masia. For the Men’s team as well as the Women’s team, the Youth Academy of FC Barcelona is a source of immense pride. Some of the biggest names in Football history are graduates of La Masia where the core footballing principles are ingrained from a very young age. Their scouting projects for youth Boy and Girl talents are incredible. Playing in a system that their First team uses helps La Masia graduates to swiftly move into their first teams.
This is where both Alexia Putellas and Aitana Bonmati graduated from. While Putellas had to move out of La Masia before rejoining FC Barcelona in 2012, Aitana Bonmati has been a part of the famed academy since she was 14.
Secondly, FC Barcelona’s track record in domestic and international competitions speaks volumes. Since the 2011-12 season, Barca Femeni has won the Liga F 10 times and also hasn’t lost the league title once since the 2018-19 season. Currently, they are on track to win their 7th consecutive League title. They have also won 3 out of the last 4 UEFA Women’s Champions League titles.
Thirdly, Alexia Putellas and Aitana Bonmati both, play for the Spanish Women’s National Teams. The La Roja haven’t only been immensely successful on the Men’s side in recent history but have also found incredible success in their Women’s team. The Spanish Femeni squad are the current World Champions, winning the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup and the inaugural Women’s Nations League in 2024.
Just like Aitana Bonmati and Alexia Putellas, most FC Barcelona Femeni players are of Spanish Origin and hence represent Spain in the National Squad.
And this successes both on the club and national team front are why Barca Femeni players always turn up to win the Ballon d’Or.
