The Ballon d'Or award has not been given to a Barcelona or a Real Madrid player in the three last years.
Paris Saint-Germain striker Ousmane Dembele won the award in 2025, while Rodri was a Manchester City player when he won in 2024 and Inter Miami's Lionel Messi won the award the year before.
It is a streak that could be extended to four this year, with Bayern Munich forward Harry Kane currently the favourite to win the 2026 Ballon d'Or.
Karim Benzema was the last Real Madrid player to win the Ballon d'Or in 2022, while Messi was the last Barcelona representative in 2019.
Messi's 2019 triumph was the 11th successive time that a Barcelona or Real Madrid player had won the Ballon d'Or, with Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modric also winning the award during that period.
Looking further back, the likes of Fabio Cannavaro, Ronaldinho and Luis Figo have also won the award when playing for one of the Spanish giants.
Last 10 different players to win the Ballon d'Or while at Barcelona or Real Madrid
- Karim Benzema
- Lionel Messi
- Luka Modric
- Cristiano Ronaldo
- Fabio Cannavaro
- Ronaldinho
- Ronaldo Nazario
- Luis Figo
- Rivaldo
- Hristo Stoichkov
