Ballon d'Or 2021: France Football editor breaks silence on Messi, Lewandowski leaks

For the first time since 2019 the soccer community will know who’s the best player of the year when the 2021 Ballon d’Or ceremony takes place on November 29. It’s been a long time, so it’s no surprise that people can’t wait to know the results.

Not long ago, social media went wild as soon as leaks spread all over the Internet. First, it was understood that Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski gathered the most votes to claim the award for the first time.

But shortly after that, it was Argentine superstar Lionel Messi who appeared atop the list, with Portuguese outlet RTP even claiming that the PSG forward was told he’d win his seventh Ballon d’Or. So, after all the rumors, an important person from France Football spoke his truth.

France Football editor claims Messi, Lewandowski leaks are false

There’s still more than two weeks to go before the French magazine reveals who’s the winner of the coveted prize. But that hasn’t prevented people from trying to predict the final results.

The soccer world may not know exactly who the winner will be but the leaks indicate thatthe conversation will reduce to Messi and Lewandowski. Still, France Football editor-in-chief Pascal Ferre told Germany newspaper Sport Bild that all those leaks were complete nonsense. “That’s a lot of ********we’ve seen in the last ten days. A big bluff,” said Ferre, as quoted by SB Nation‘s Bavarian Football Works.

The first leak had Lewandowski as winner with627 votes, but a few days later another list had Messi atop with645 votes. Many people believe the Pole striker made a strong case to win the Ballon d’Or, especially as he didn’t get the chance to win it in 2020, when the award wasn’t given due to the pandemic.

But Messi is always an obvious candidate and his performances in 2021 could be worthy of the prize, despite Barcelona didn’t help him to show the best version of himself. And he may have had a slow start in Paris Saint-Germain, but his level with Argentina hasbeen outstanding, winning his first international title in the 2021 Copa America. Either way, we’ll know the truth on November 29.