Barcelona in unparalled position with men’s and women’s strength

The 2024 Ballon d’Or Ceremony crowned Barcelona as the best women’s club in the world for the second year in a row. Additionally, Barcelona sensation Aitana Bonmatí claimed her second Ballon d’Or Femenin. Regardless of what one may have thought of the men’s Ballon d’Or controversy, Bonmatí was a deserving recipient for the second year. […]

The 2024 Ballon d’Or Ceremony crowned Barcelona as the best women’s club in the world for the second year in a row. Additionally, Barcelona sensation Aitana Bonmatí claimed her second Ballon d’Or Femenin. Regardless of what one may have thought of the men’s Ballon d’Or controversy, Bonmatí was a deserving recipient for the second year. On the men’s side, Barcelona claimed the Kopa Trophy, with 17-year-old Lamine Yamal winning the award as the best player under the age of 21. It was a proud night for FC Barcelona, and it was one that shows that Barcelona is unmatched in its combined dominance of its men’s and women’s teams.

In total fairness, FC Barcelona Femení has carried the weight when it comes to winning trophies in recent seasons. Last season, the Barcelona men did not win any trophies, but they did win the 2022/23 LaLiga campaign under Xavi. By comparison, Barcelona has dominated women’s soccer over the last five years. In that span, Barcelona won Liga F five times, Copa de la Reina four times, Supercopa de España Femenina four times, UEFA Women’s Champions League three times, and appeared in another UWCL Final. It is an unprecedented run of form for a women’s soccer team in Spain.

On either the men’s or women’s side, dominance is not uncommon. For the men, Real Madrid seems to have no issue in winning the UEFA Champions League. The Spanish side has won five of the last nine Champions League crowns. Likewise, Lyon won the UEFA Women’s Champions League eight times in 12 years. It remains the most successful women’s team in history in that competition. However, in both the cases of Real Madrid and Lyon, their relative women’s or men’s teams have struggled in comparison. That allows Barcelona to stand out.

Ballon d’Or festivities top off form for Barcelona in all competitions

The Ballon d’Or Ceremony was perhaps a crowning moment for Barcelona. It gave the club firm recognition for how well it has performed in the last calendar year. Some of that is individual, as seen with Lamine Yamal’s Kopa Trophy and Bonmatí’s Ballon d’Or Femenin. Yet, the timing of the award ceremony comes when Barcelona is unofficially on top of Europe.

The Barcelona men’s team had its best week in recent memory. It defeated Sevilla and Real Madrid in convincing fashion in LaLiga play. In between, Barcelona dumped Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League, 4-1. For many supporters, it was three performances that looked like the Barcelona of old. Likewise, the women’s team has, as usual, been in unbelievable form. Shaking off an early loss to Manchester City in the UEFA Women’s Champions League group stage, Barcelona has thrashed every team it has come up against. The women’s team will have two massive fixtures once the calendar turns to November, with back-to-back trips to Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid.

While it was a great night for Barcelona in Paris for the awards, the club must be measured in its reaction. What Barcelona is doing with the women’s team is unprecedented in part because of the infancy of women’s soccer as a whole. Real Madrid only incorporated its women’s team in 2020. Over time, Los Blancos will continue to grow, as will the English women’s teams that have regularly challenged Barcelona in the Champions League.

By the same accord, Barcelona must start producing tangible success with such promise. Lamine Yamal is already one of the best players in the world. At least that is per Ballon d’Or voters. They ranked the teenager eighth in the world ahead of players like Harry Kane, Phil Foden and Florian Wirtz. While Barcelona looked strong this past week in those challenging fixtures, the club needs sustained success from the men’s team. A strong start to the club’s LaLiga and Champions League campaign helps in that regard.

PHOTOS: IMAGO