Pascal Ferré, the editor-in-chief of France Football, with the Ballon d’Or at his office in Paris, Nov. 25, 2021. Encrypted email servers, secret meetings, strict confidentiality: The identity of the winner of the Ballon d’Or, soccer’s biggest individual prize, is guarded like a state secret. (James Hill/The New York Times)
At this time of year, Pascal Ferré fields the same call, over and over again. They come from around the world. Sometimes, it is a team executive or a club president. Often, it is an agent, charming and inquisitive. Occasionally, it might even be one of the world’s most famous players themselves.©2019 New York Times News Service