According to Foot Mercato, Pascal Ferré, the former head of the Ballon d'Or, recalled that Modric cried upon being informed of his award, while Benzema remained composed at the time. Ferré, a former France Football journalist, was responsible for organizing the Ballon d'Or until 2023, after which he joined Paris Saint-Germain.

In an interview with Marca, Ferré revealed that an agent of a shortlisted player once asked him to "pitch" his client's candidacy to the jury. After Ferré refused, he briefly stepped away to answer a phone call; upon returning, the agent had left an envelope on the table. Ferré handed the envelope to reception but did not know what was inside.

Ferré also recalled notifying two award winners. In 2018, when he called to inform Modric of his win, the player did not answer initially, returning the call a few minutes later. After hearing the news, Modric was silent for a moment before bursting into tears. Days later, Modric told Ferré that he was too emotional to answer the phone at that time.

When Ferré called Benzema, he found the player's attitude rather reserved, as if the news did not faze him much. Days later, Benzema apologized to Ferré, explaining that he was receiving a massage with teammates nearby, and although he wanted to celebrate, he had to keep the win confidential. Nowadays, Ballon d'Or winners only learn the result on the day of the awards ceremony, so such advance notifications no longer occur.

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