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PSG have reportedly quashed reports that they lobbied with the Ballon d'Or organisers for Lionel Messi to win the 2021 award.
Messi, now with MLS side Inter Miami, narrowly edged out then Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski to win his seventh Ballon d'Or award that year. The Argentinian had joined the Parisians that summer after leaving Barcelona on a free transfer.
Shortly after winning the Copa America with Argentina, Barca informed him that they were unable to extend his stay without violating La Liga's FFP rules. Messi subsequently joined PSG on a free transfer.
Meanwhile, following the controversial scrapping of the 2020 award due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which Lewandowski was the odds-on favourite to win after leading Bayern Munich to a treble, the Pole was once again the frontrunner to win in 2021.
Messi, by contrast, had a lukewarm 2020-21 campaign with Barca, winning only the Copa del Rey. But his Copa America triumph swayed voters to vote for him. It's now reported that his then club PSG played a part by 'lobbying' for Messi to win.
As per Le Monde (via The Nation), there's an ongoing legal investigation regarding the Parisians offering various gifts and benefits to Pascal Ferre to ensure that Messi would win the 2021 award. Ferre was the editor-in chief of France Football, which awards the Ballon d'Or.
A General Inspectorate of the National Police probe reportedly said that Ferre received match tickets and a business class flight from the Parisians in 2020 and 2021, when he was in charge of France Football.
The Nation, though, reports that the Parisians have dismissed the notion that they played a role in ensuring that Messi won the Ballon d'Or in 2021.
How did Lionel Messi fare at PSG?
Lionel Messi had a modest two-season stint with Ligue 1 giants PSG. In 75 games across competitions, he bagged 32 goals and 35 assists, winning three titles.
Although the Parisians cantered to the Ligue 1 title on both occasions, they fell successively in the Round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League, a competition they yearn to win.
Since leaving the Parc des Princes last summer, Messi bagged 11 goals and five assists in 14 games across competitions for his current side Inter Miami, helping win their first trophy, the inaugural Leagues Cup.
