A shocking email detailing a “paid campaign” to help Ousmane Dembele win the Ballon d’Or has gone viral. The Paris Saint-Germain attacker was a key figure in the French giants’ four-trophy haul last season, with 35 goals and 16 assists providing rocket fuel for the club’s first Champions League title under Luis Enrique.
Dembele, one of 15 young players picked by Lionel Messi for glory in 2020, is now among the leading contenders for the Ballon d’Or as a result of his redemption story. It’s been a long and winding route to this point, but few would be surprised if he was shown carrying the coveted golden ball at this month’s Paris gala.
Teenage star Lamine Yamal and Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah are also in contention. However, it appears that some public relations firms are working hard to ensure that neither of them eclipse Dembele, even though the veracity of the leaked email in support of the 28-year-old is unknown.
Email about the ‘paid campaign’ to help Ousmane Dembele win the Ballon d’Or.
Neal Gardner, an Australian-based football content artist with over 120,000 followers on X, claimed on Friday night that he had been approached by an agency about Dembele’s pursuit of the Ballon d’Or. The email’s unknown sender suggested that he post three “carefully crafted tweets per week over the course of a month that highlight his performances, impact, and overall case for this recognition.”
Naturally, questions linger about how legitimate the campaign is, especially since voting for football’s top individual honor finished a few weeks ago. And the fact that Gardner did not identify the identity of the PR agency or include a time stamp raises the likelihood that he turned down money to expose a fraudulent campaign. He wrote (see the whole post below):
“I was recently approached by a public relations firm to undertake a paid campaign in support of Dembele’s Ballon d’Or bid. I’m not sure who is sponsoring this, but I think it’s crazy, and I needed to bring notice.”
Gardner, aware that publicizing the campaign could tarnish his reputation, used the comments section to justify his decision to post about the matter. “I’m totally aware of the ramifications,” he said to one critic. “This was an AWFUL commercial mistake on my part, but guess what? “I don’t care.”
He continued (see below): “I am fortunate enough to be in a position where I can and have denied thousands of dollars. It’s what it is. I’m already doing quite well.
The Ballon d’Or ceremony will be held on September 22 this year. With no Cristiano Ronaldo nor Lionel Messi among the nominees, and current holder Rodri ruled out due to a season-ending ACL injury in the 2024/25 season, expectations are high for a first-time winner. It is unclear whether Dembele is involved.
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