Messi would win the trophy with support of the Parisian club

Le Monde stated that PSG is allegedly trying to push for Lionel Messi to win the Ballon d’Or.

The Parisian team reportedly tightened its relationship with Pascal Ferre, the president of France Football at the time. The team desired that Lionel Messi win the Ballon d’Or while he was a PSG player. In March 2021, Pascal Ferre received business class travel and match tickets from Qatar Airways, totaling €8,986.

PSG sought to support Lionel Messi’s candidacy for the Ballon d’Or by taking such measures. Jean-Martial Ribes, the club’s communications director at the time, stated in a police report that lobbying was required and that he would be having lunch with Pascal Ferre. 24hscore

Investigators are currently looking into the possibility that Jean-Martial influenced Pascal Ferre’s Ballon d’Or vote. However, Lionel Messi did not receive the coveted individual award when playing for PSG; instead, Karim Benzema was the winner of the prize at that particular moment.