Pascal Ferre, the former director of France Football, has described his public disagreement with Cristiano Ronaldo and revisited the intense Ballon d’Or rivalry between Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
Ferre joined the editorial team at France Football in 1986 and became the magazine’s director in 1996, a position he held until 2023. His long association with the publication placed him close to the award and the controversies surrounding it, particularly during the period dominated by Messi and Ronaldo.
Speaking to Spanish newspaper Marca, Ferre said the pair’s control of the award between 2008 and 2017 was a consequence of their exceptional ability.
“They shared the award because they were the best in the world. They were players from another planet,” he said.
Ferre also recalled the dispute that followed comments he made about Ronaldo in an interview with The New York Times.
“I said that Cristiano’s dream was to win more Ballon d’Ors than Messi,” Ferre explained.
“Perhaps I did not express myself very well, but it was no secret that he was an extremely competitive player. He responded to me on social media and, in the end, made me look like a liar in front of millions of followers, but it was not serious.”
Ronaldo has won the Ballon d’Or five times, while Messi has claimed the award on eight occasions.
Ferre also discussed the influence of clubs and players around the prize, referring in particular to Real Madrid and its understanding of how to operate within the system.
“It is true that in Cristiano’s world, and particularly at Real Madrid, they knew what they had to do within the rules of the game,” he said.
“These are institutions that impose their presence on football and on this award. Real Madrid has been associated with the Ballon d’Or from the beginning, first through Alfredo Di Stefano and then Raymond Kopa, while Barcelona had to wait until 1960 to win it through Luis Suarez.”
Ferre said that history had created a distinctive connection between the award and Spanish clubs.
“There is therefore a special relationship between the Ballon d’Or and Spanish clubs,” he added.
