The soccer community has been waiting for it for a long time and it's still a topic of discussion many days later. The 2021 Ballon d'Or continues stealing the headlines as Lionel Messi's seventh triumph left a lot to talk about.
For weeks, fans have tried to predict who the winner would be as a number of leaks spread on the Internet, while other reports had already anticipated the PSG star would receive the prize. And of course, the results didn't sit well with everyone.
Especially with Robert Lewandowski, who has admitted to feel upset and had seemingly taken a subtle shot at Messi, something he eventually clarified shortly after. France Football editor Pascal Ferre has also been in the spotlight for the last few weeks, so his votes have obviously made some noise.
Ballon d'Or: France Football editor Pascal Ferre voted Lewandowski ahead of Messi
As the editor-in-chief of the prestigious magazine that gives the coveted award, Pascal Ferre has obviously had to deal with a lot recently. He spoke up when leaks began to go viral on social media before Cristiano Ronaldo took a jab at him.
However, as part of the jury, Ferre has voted his five favorite options and the Bayern Munich striker headlined his list. Below him, we can find the Argentine forward, Karim Benzema, Jorginho, and Kylian Mbappe.
Just like the Portuguese jury, he didn't include Ronaldo in his top five. Instead, he picked the two heavy candidates for the award, with the Poland international above the former Barcelona winger. A debate that is still alive in world soccer.
Followed by them, he chose three players who had a great year. The Real Madrid star carried the team practically by himself this year, earning a long-awaited return to the France national team.
The Italian midfielder played a key role in Chelsea's UEFA Champions League success before he lifted his national team to their first European Championship since 1968. Mbappe, on the other hand, had a great performance for Paris Saint-Germain in their last UCL journey but he was in the eye of the storm for missing a crucial penalty for France vs Switzerland in the Euros.