Former Ballon d’Or Chief Breaks Silence on Claims Florentino Pérez Tried to Influence Award Winner
- Former Ballon d'Or chief Pascal Ferré broke his silence on claims Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez pressured him over the award
- Ferré revealed an unnamed player's agent once left a mysterious envelope on a table during a meeting about a Ballon d'Or nomination
- Ferré's revelations came as he promoted his new book about the untold stories behind football's most prestigious individual prize
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Pascal Ferré, who oversaw the Ballon d'Or for nearly three decades, has pushed back against longstanding speculation that Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez attempted to manipulate who took home the award.
Ferré ran France Football magazine and managed the Ballon d'Or between 1996 and 2023.
Source: Getty Images
According to GOAL, he made the comments in an interview with Spanish newspaper Marca, timed to coincide with the release of his book, "The Hidden Face of the Ballon d'Or."
A separate account of his remarks was also reported by Portuguese outlet Record.
Ferré on Pérez and agent pressure
On the question of whether Pérez ever leaned on him, Ferré was direct:
"Pérez loves this award, but he has never sent me any message or hinted at anything indirectly."
However, he acknowledged that not everyone connected to Real Madrid's orbit showed the same restraint.
An agent whose client had been nominated for the award approached Ferré to argue the player's case and asked whether he could lobby members of the voting jury. Ferré turned him down.
What followed was more striking.
"I got up from the table to answer a phone call, and when I came back, there was an envelope on the table. I picked it up, then left it at the reception desk. I don't know what was inside it. I have met this agent since then and he has never mentioned the matter," Ferré said as he chose not to name the individual.
Eight players have won the Ballon d'Or while on Real Madrid's books, collecting 12 awards between them.
Among them are Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Luka Modrić, Ronaldo Nazário and Luís Figo.
Who are the frontrunners for the 2026 Ballon d'Or?
With the era of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo dominating the vote now largely in the past, the race for the 2026 award, which is scheduled to be presented on October 26 in London, looks genuinely wide open, Sports Illustrated reports.
Harry Kane leads many early rankings after scoring 73 club goals and adding eight assists for Bayern Munich, winning the Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal and DFL-Supercup along the way. He also scored six goals at the World Cup.
Kylian Mbappé of Real Madrid is among the bookmakers' favourites after posting 58 goals and 14 assists, with a strong World Cup campaign adding to his case.
Barcelona's Lamine Yamal registered 26 goals and 21 assists, winning La Liga, the Supercopa de España and the World Cup, and is in contention to become one of the youngest winners in the award's history.
Messi, now at Inter Miami, contributed 44 goals and 30 assists and continues to attract votes based on both current output and long-standing recognition among voters.
Michael Olise, also at Bayern Munich, produced 26 goals and 41 assists, while Rodri, now at Barcelona, carries weight as the World Cup Golden Ball winner and a key figure in Spain's tournament victory.
Updated 2026 Ballon d'Or rankings
Legit.ng previously reported about the 2026 Ballon d’Or race, with Harry Kane leading the bookmakers ahead of Lamine Yamal and Lionel Messi.
The ceremony will be held in London for the first time, in tribute to Stanley Matthews, the Englishman who won the inaugural award in 1956.
Source: Legit.ng
