This Saturday, Le Monde reported on a French police investigation into possible bribery by Paris SG officials to ensure that Lionel Messi won the 2021 Ballon d'Or.

According to the data revealed by the French press, communications director Jean-Martial Ribes is said to have offered "various gifts" to Pascal Ferre, the former editor of 'France Football' who was in charge of the award gala, including VIP tickets for matches at the Parc des Princes, trips on Qatar Airways (the club's sponsor), among other benefits.

In the investigation, which points to Ribes' crimes of "corruption" and "influence peddling" - since he also allegedly provided tickets and favors for politicians and artists - the name of Nasser Al-Khelaifi is also mentioned, although in this case it was not known whether there was any direct link to illegal acts.

It should be noted that Messi actually won the 2021 Ballon d'Or, with 613 votes, against Robert Lewandowski's 580 and Jorginho's 460. Cristiano Ronaldo came 6th that year, with 178 (A Bola and Record).