It is 30 years ago to the day, this Wednesday, December 22, 2021, that the Ballon d’Or 1991 was awarded to Jean-Pierre Papin, who became the coach of C’Chartres Football in the summer of 2020. “ JPP ”, third French awarded in history after Raymond Kopa (1958) and Michel Platini (1983, 1984 and 1985), came out of an exceptional year during which he continued to write his legend under the colors of Marseille and the Blues. Since 1991, only one French player has been crowned, Zinedine Zidane in 1998, and only one player playing for a club in France has been crowned, Lionel Messi, this year …
Jean-Pierre Papin, where is your Ballon d’Or today?
He’s with me all the time. When I am in Chartres, he is in Chartres in my living room. When I am in Arcachon, he is in Arcachon. I like to see him every day. Even if, a few times, I pass by without paying attention, I know that it is there …
hat does he represent to you?
It is the most beautiful consecration that you can have and it brings back so many good memories. It is certainly my greatest pride as an athlete.
It was definitely the best year of my entire career. Everything was reunited, I was never injured, I scored goal after goal, some very important.
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In 1991, you were stratospheric with 51 goals over the calendar year, a record for a Frenchman that Kylian Mbappé could beat this Wednesday evening …
Records are meant to be broken, that’s not the problem. But again, this is the greatest reward you can get for a soccer player except you can’t have it all on your own. Yes, you are successful and at one point it is more than another, but, without the others, you cannot have it. And, at that time, at OM we had a fucking team!
Jean-Pierre Papin is celebrating the 30th anniversary of his 1991 Ballon d’Or this Wednesday. Photo: Quentin Reix
You had won the championship, been a finalist in the Champions League against the Red Star …
Yes 1991, it’s also a Coupe de France final against Monaco, a top scorer title… It’s a full season. With the France team, it’s a qualifier for Euro-1992 with all the matches won and above all there are some monstrous “papinades”. Against Spain, Czechoslovakia, Belgium… It is certainly the best year of my entire career. Everything has been gathered, I have never been injured, I scored goal after goal, some of which are very important, I finished top scorer in the Champions League. Anyway, this is the year I broke all the codes.
I thought it was a joke ! I said to the guys from France Football who called me “stop your bullshit, it’s not funny”.
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How did you react when you heard the news?
I thought it was a joke ! I told the guys to France Football who called me “stop your bullshit, it’s not funny”. But it was not funny, it was true! Never, at any time in my career, would I have thought of having a Golden Ball. Never, never, never. I was more formatted to hope to have a Golden Boot (note: reward for the top scorer in Europe). But a Golden Ball, no.
Do you remember the ceremony?
I reviewed the pictures recently because Telefoot gave me a great 45-minute report that will air in early January. It was just amazing. There were my parents, my family, all my friends. This may be the only time in my life where everyone has been reunited at the same time.
Then there was the presentation at the Vélodrome …
Yes, a little later. It was before a league match against Toulon. It wasn’t like today, it had nothing to do with it. Today, it’s a show, a big event with everyone from football. At the time, it was us and us. It was in a small committee. To take the example of this year, for me, the Golden Ball is completely business. It wasn’t like that for us. I am one of those who have had it before and no one will be able to take it away from me!
A plebiscite
Jean-Pierre Papin was elected Ballon d’Or 1991 by a very clear majority of the votes. At a time when only European players could receive the trophy (until 1994), the Northerner had collected 141 points against 42 in the trio made up of Yugoslavs Dejan Savicevic and Darko Pancev (Red Star from Belgrade) as well as the German Lothar Matthäus (Inter Milan).
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Franck Thébault
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