El Clásico Barcelona and Real Madrid brings together 7 candidates for the Ballon d'Or. Find out their numbers

- The meeting between Barcelona and its traditional rival, Real Madrid, will be renewed on the grounds of the Spotify Camp Nou stadium, on Sunday, as part of the matches of the tenth round of the Spanish League. This confrontation is receiving wide attention, as it is one of the most famous competitive matches in football history, in addition to the fact that it will bring together 7 candidates for the 2026 Ballon d'Or, one day before the award winner is announced, as the ceremony will be held in London, next Monday.

On the list of candidates to win the Ballon d'Or this year are 3 players from the Catalan team, Lamine Yamal, Pau Cobarsi and Rodri, and 4 players from the Merengue, Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham, Mark Cucurella and Vinicius Junior, but the latter will miss El Clasico due to a suspension penalty. A look at the numbers of the seven candidates during the 2026/2025 season and in the matches played in the 2026/2027 season so far: Yamal (19 years old) played: 57 matches, scored: 34 goals and assisted 28 others, and achieved with his teammates in Barcelona the Spanish League titles and the Spanish Super Cup.

He played 8 matches in the World Cup, in which he scored one goal and made another, and won the title with the Spanish national team. Cobarci (19 years old) played: 59 matches, scored one goal and made two assists, and won two LaLiga titles and the Spanish Super Cup with his teammates in the Catalan team.

He participated in 8 matches with the “Matador” team in the World Cup, and won the title. Rodri (30 years old) played: 44 matches with Barcelona and Manchester City, scored 3 goals, and won the FA Cup title with the “Citizens”. He played 8 matches with the Spanish national team in the World Cup, and won the title with his teammates. Cucurella (28 years old) participated in 62 matches for Chelsea and Real Madrid, scoring once and providing 4 assists.

He played 8 matches with the “Matador” team in the World Cup, during which he scored 3 goals and won the title with his teammates. Mbappe (27 years old) played 56 matches, in which he scored 54 goals and made 10 assists.

He participated in 8 matches with the French national team in the World Cup, during which he scored 10 goals and made 4 assists, becoming the all-time top scorer in the World Cup with 22 goals. Bellingham (23 years old) played: 52 matches, scored 11 times and provided 9 assists.

He played 8 matches with the England national team in the World Cup, during which he scored 7 goals and made one assist. Vinicius (26 years old) participated in 64 matches, scoring 23 goals and making 17 assists.

He played 5 matches with the Brazilian national team in the World Cup, scoring 4 times and providing one assist. Ballon d'Or winners since 2004 have played for the Spanish poles. The nine players who won the "Ballon d'Or" award since 2004 had previously played for Barcelona and Real Madrid at some point in their careers. They are: Ronaldinho, Fabio Cannavaro, Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Luka Modric, Karim Benzema, Rodri, Ousmane Dembélé.

Players who played for Barcelona and Real Madrid Football rarely witnesses the presence of players who wore the shirts of two competing clubs in one country, but this actually happened a few times between a player representing the “Catalan team” and the “Merengue.” Mark Cucurella joined Real Madrid last summer, but previously played for Barcelona, ​​specifically in a Spanish King's Cup match during the 2017/2018 season.

The Portuguese Luis Figo had moved directly from the "Catalan team" to the "Merengue" in 2000. The Brazilian Ronaldo Nazario, the Spaniards Luis Enrique and Julen Lopetegui, the Cameroonian Samuel Eto'o and the Argentine Javier Saviola are among the list of players who played for the Spanish poles.