Some soccer circles now doubt if Paris Saint Germain wanted the 2021 Ballon d’Or to be rigged for Lionel Messi. This controversy erupted after an ongoing investigation alleged that PSG’s former director of communications Jean-Martial Ribes attempted to gain favor. Per the allegations, Ribes tried to bribe France Football’s former chief editor and Ballon d’Or organizer Pascal Ferre. However, a recent update on the web proves PSG’s reported influence had no say in Ferre’s voting decisions.

With or without PSG’s alleged attempts to rig the Ballon d’Or, Lionel Messi won the prize in 2021. The controversy and the surrounding allegations are yet to be clarified. But Pascal Ferre might be quicker to come clean from the debacle.

Was Lionel Messi’s 2021 Ballon d’Or title fair and square?

In light of the ongoing 2021 Ballon d’Or debacle, an X handle named ‘MessiXtra’ has revealed Pascal Ferre’s voting list for the 2021 Ballon d’Or. Per the list, the former French Football editor-in-chief voted for Polish striker Robert Lewandowski over Lionel Messi. After voting for Lewandowski for the first place and the Argentine for the second, Ferre voted for Karim Benzema, Jorginho, and Kylian Mbappe to finish in the next respective positions. The Ballon d’Or chief seems to not have given into PSG’s alleged advances, if any.

However, the Ballon d’Or announcements ended in Lionel Messi and PSG’s favor. The Argentine won the award for a record seventh time then, and PSG housed a Ballon d’Or winner for the first time. Messi’s win, however, was met with some fan fury. There is still a sect that argues Lewandowski deserved the prize after the pandemic had brutally taken it away from him in 2020. Anyhow, Ferre might keep the fiasco completely at bay, as he chose the Polish man in 2021. But the allegations against PSG are yet to be proven wrong.

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What is exactly going on at PSG?

In order to make sure that Lionel Messi won the Ballon d’Or in his first year in Paris, PSG allegedly offered gifts and trips to Pascal Ferre. Allegations have it that Jean-Martial Ribes tried to secure tickets to important PSG matches for French journalists, including Pascal Ferre. The judicial investigation also accuses Ribes of requesting to obtain PSG tickets for French politicians, and members of ministerial cabinets.

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Anyhow, the truth behind the debacle is yet awaited. Since Pascal Ferre seems to have voted in Lewandowski’s favor, he could soon get away from the controversy. For the same reason, Lionel Messi’s image and his Golden Ball win won’t be tarnished. However, if the allegations against them are proven true, the 2021 Ballon d’Or debacle will remain a huge infamy in PSG’s history. What are your thoughts on this? Tell us in the comments below.

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