"I didn't put Messi first" - France Football chief Pascal Ferre reveals who he voted for in the race for 2021 Ballon d'Or

France Football's editor-in-chief Pascal Ferre has revealed that he voted for Robert Lewandowski over Lionel Messi for the 2021 Ballon d'Or.

France Football are the organizers of the Ballon d'Or ceremony, which takes place every year.

Ferre said the voting process for the Ballon d'Or winner happens in a democratic manner. He himself voted for Robert Lewandowski but said even Lionel Messi deserved to win the award this year.

Speaking to MARCA (via The Sun), Ferre said:

"The Ballon d'Or is based on a democratic system. There are 170 members of the jury and they have decided to vote for Messi. I didn't put Messi first. I chose Lewandowski, but I think Messi deserves the Ballon d'Or as well."

Robert Lewandowski has been extremely unlucky in not winning the Ballon d'Or over the last two seasons. The 33-year-old forward scored 55 goals in 47 appearances across all competitions as Bayern Munich lifted the treble during the 2019-20 season. He would have easily won the Ballon d'Or that year, but the ceremony was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This time around, Robert Lewandowski missed out on the Ballon d'Or to Lionel Messi. The PSG forward won the prestigious "Golden Ball" award for an unprecedented seventh time in his illustrious career.

Lionel Messi secured 33 more points than Robert Lewandowski, who finished second to the Argentine. Chelsea midfielder Jorginho finished in third place.

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Lionel Messi has struggled with PSG since winning the 2021 Ballon d'Or

Since lifting his seventh Ballon d'Or, Lionel Messi has struggled to find good form whilst playing for Paris Saint-Germain. The 34-year-old has failed to record a single goal or an assist in the two games he has played after the Ballon d'Or ceremony.

The French media have been extremely critical of Lionel Messi's form in the past two games against Nice and Lens. According to Spanish outlet AS, L’Équipe and Le Parisien were not impressed by Messi's performance against the two teams, with the forward not getting a score higher than 4/10 from the two French publications.

Lionel Messi has struggled with consistency since his free transfer from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain over the summer. In nine Ligue 1 games, Messi has scored just once and assisted three times. It is worth noting that all three of those assists came in a single game, against St-Etienne, in a 3-1 win for PSG.

Lionel Messi has scored just four goals for PSG across all competitions. Three of those have come in the Champions League.