On Monday Leo Messi received his fifth Ballon d’Or award, adding to his already impressive legacy in an FC Barcelona shirt. This latest triumph by the Argentine also signified an eleventh victory in the competition for Barça players, extending thier record as the team whose members have claimed the prize most. The Catalans are now three ahead of their nearest rivals AC Milan, Juventus and Real Madrid whose players have won the Ballon d’Or on eight occasions. Below we details the successes over the years:
• 1960 – Luis Suárez becomes the first Barça player to win the Ballon d’Or
• 1973 and 1974 – Johan Cruyff wins it two years in a row
• 1994 – After a wait of 20 years, Bulgarian striker Hristo Stoichkov wins
• 1999 – Brazilian Rivaldo claims the Club’s fifth award
• 2005 – Six years later his countryman Ronaldinho takes the prize
• 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2015 – Four years after Ronaldinho the Leo Messi era begins, culminating in a record fifth award this Monday for the Barça legend, bringing the Club’s total to 11
