A French international attempted to buy the Ballon d'Or, reveals former France Football director

An anonymous French international once asked Pascal Ferré how much it would cost him to buy the Ballon d’Or. The former director of France Football (until 2022) reveals this in his book The Hidden Face of the Ballon d’Or, published by Albin Michel.

The player in question never appeared on any nomination lists. Yet he broached the subject directly: “How much would it cost me to buy the Ballon d’Or?” When Ferré hesitated, he pressed on: “You understand me, Pascal. How much would it cost me to buy the final victory?” He went further still, claiming to know several journalists on the jury whom he could convince to include him on the nomination list.

Ferré, however, tempers the significance of this approach. According to him, the player was mainly seeking to “explore every possible loophole, not to act on it, but rather to ensure the prize’s integrity”. The former magazine director responded with an analogy: he would have acted the same way if he had received a large sum to ease off during a match — implying he would have refused.

These revelations come days before the 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony, with the winner to be unveiled next Monday in London. Kylian Mbappé is among the French contenders to succeed Ousmane Dembélé, last year’s winner, in a roll of honour that already includes Raymond Kopa, Michel Platini, Jean-Pierre Papin, Zinédine Zidane and Karim Benzema. Competition is fierce: Lamine Yamal, Harry Kane, Rodri, Michael Olise, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Fabian Ruiz are also mentioned.