Barcelona’s Rodri move could create rare Ballon d’Or milestone

Barcelona have reached an agreement with Manchester City to complete the signing of Rodri, the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner, according to Spanish newspaper Sport.

Rodri won the award after narrowly finishing ahead of Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior in the final stages of the voting. If the move is completed, he would become only the second player in Barcelona’s history to join the club while already holding the Ballon d’Or.

The only previous player to make that journey was Johan Cruyff, who moved to Barcelona in 1973 after winning the award with Ajax in 1971.

Rodri is also aiming to win the Ballon d’Or again this year. His prospects have been strengthened by his recognition as the best player at the World Cup with Spain.

Barcelona’s signing of Rodri would therefore represent a rare moment in the club’s history. Although several players have won the Ballon d’Or while representing Barcelona, only Cruyff had secured the prize before arriving at the Catalan club.

Cruyff joined Barcelona in the summer of 1973 and went on to win the award twice more. He claimed it again in the same year he moved to the club, before receiving the honour for a third time in 1974 as a Barcelona player.

Every other player who has won at least one Ballon d’Or associated with Barcelona either collected the award while playing for the club or did so after leaving it.

Luis Suarez won the prize in 1960, while Hristo Stoichkov was recognised in 1994. Rivaldo followed in 1999, and Ronaldinho won in 2005.

Lionel Messi accounts for the largest share of Barcelona’s Ballon d’Or success. He won the award in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015 and 2019 while wearing the club’s colours.

In total, Barcelona players have been named the world’s best footballer by the Ballon d’Or on 12 occasions. That is a joint record with Real Madrid.

The total could increase during the current season, with Rodri and Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal both regarded as potential winners of the award.

A successful transfer would give Barcelona a player who has already achieved the game’s most prestigious individual honour before joining the club, something that has happened only once previously in their history. It would also put Rodri in position to pursue another Ballon d’Or while beginning a new chapter at Barcelona.