Original article from France Football, published in 2022.

“I didn't want to believe it; I thought it was a joke. François de Montvalon (then editor-in-chief of France Football) called me and said, just like that, out of the blue: « I’m calling you about the Ballon d'Or. » I told him: « Stop messing around. » I knew him a little; he gave me the figures, and it was a massive surprise.”

What Jean-Pierre Papin (58) tells us today in Chartres, while sitting at Terra restaurant (“the best Italian in the region!”), has been read in the columns of FF before. In late 1991, the surprise was visible on JPP’s youthful face. He couldn't believe it then, and thirty years later, he still hasn't quite processed it. It was Christmas on December 12th.

“I was at home with my wife, Florence. I had just remarried. She didn't even know what the Ballon d'Or was. When I told her, she replied: « No, stop, it’s not possible! » I snapped back: « Look, I’m as surprised as you are, we’re going to wait for confirmation. »”

Over the truffle tagliatelle he recommended, we ask what made him think it was a prank. Suddenly serious, he explains: “Because I never played to win the Ballon d'Or. I barely paid attention to it. While nothing is inaccessible for a kid, you can't exactly set it as an objective. It makes me laugh when I hear some players saying they want it. Ballon d'Or, you become one. Because you play for a big club, because you have to be good, because you’re an international, because you play in the Champions League, and because you win titles. You can only win it at the big clubs. Marseille was one, clearly.”

"My goal was the Golden Boot"

The idea had never crossed his mind before. “Not for a second,” he asserts. “No one talked to me about it, and anyway, back then, my goal was to be the Golden Shoe. Top scorer. Except you’d notice that in the final weeks, the Portuguese players or others would score six goals two matches in a row, etc. So, I thought it would be nice, but impossible. (He laughs.) Being the European top scorer mattered. French Golden Boots—I have three, no, five! So, I played for that a bit. The goal was not only to be champion but also, personally, to be the top scorer. The Ballon d'Or, on the other hand, is the most beautiful surprise of my entire career.”

His victory was brilliant and undisputed. As he puts it: “It’s called unanimity.” JPP totaled 141 points; Matthäus, Pancev, and Savicevic had 42—end of story.

“But that season, I think it was deserved,” he continues. “With OM, we reached the European Cup final (victory for Red Star Belgrade, 0-0, 5-3 on penalties, including a successful one by Papin), we were French champions, and finalists in the Coupe de France (defeat against Monaco, 1-0). With the French national team, we had a perfect record in the group stages for the first time; I scored goal after goal, some very beautiful and impressive ones (six in four qualifying matches for the European Championship in 1991). But despite all that, I didn't expect to receive the Ballon d'Or at all. In fact, you can't expect it.”

What followed remains an enchantment for JPP—the discovery of an almost unknown world. In 1991, even if professional footballers had recently started earning very well, the sport wasn't yet the glitzy, high-priced window of ostentatious luxury it is today. Media outlets were few, mobile phones were just appearing, computers as we know them didn't exist, and social media was non-existent.

An unforgettable sunday

Appearing on Téléfoot was a rare exception. On set, JPP felt like he was dreaming awake. Meanwhile, photographers André Lecoq and Alain de Martignac, and journalist Patrick Lafayette, had traveled to Aix-en-Provence with the beautiful golden object:

“When I saw it on the table, I told myself: « There it is, finally! » The ceremony was a magical moment because I was reunited with my friends, my family, and my childhood football idol, Michel Platini, who presented me with the trophy. It was incredibly symbolic. I received an extraordinary trophy surrounded by all the people I love. That is magnificent! There was also Raymond Kopa, so the two previous French Ballon d'Or winners were there, and I am the only French winner to win it while playing for a French club. And I think I'll remain the only one. (Laughs.) It’s a truly special moment in life. When you are a professional footballer, playing for a club like OM, having that trophy in that club is just extraordinary.”

The spark in Papin’s eyes hasn't changed. He loved, and still loves, those unexpected moments that make you look back at everyone who mattered. For JPP, surprise didn't mean ingratitude.

“If I remember correctly, I dedicated the Ballon d'Or to Alain Casanova (Marseille’s goalkeeper between 1990 and 1992) because I sincerely believe—even today—that if he hadn't been there… He was the first person who came to mind because every single day, it was a one-on-one with him! After training: forty-five minutes. Shots, volleys, shots, volleys. And even when I didn't feel like it, he would say: « Come on, I took a beating yesterday and yet I’m back today! » Alain was a friend from the INF (Vichy). When I was there in my first year, I played alongside him with the third-year students. When we met again in Marseille, he agreed to come every day without ever complaining. He was the number two behind Gaëtan Huard. Alain was crucial for this trophy because he was my guide—my daily work guide. He played the part. It helps!”

Casanova was on set that Sunday at 6 PM, presented by Roger Zabel. Along with the OM players, friends from the INF (1981-1984), and his whole family. Hovering between childlike joy and deep emotion, JPP also revisits the Institute, Valenciennes, and Bruges in a flash.

He says now: “It’s the foundation. It’s your history. Without all that, the story isn't the same. The people who counted, who participated, come back to memory. There are so many of them. My coach at INF André Merelle, my agent in Bruges Fernand Goyvaerts, who is gone now (died in 2004), so important in the link between Valenciennes and Bruges; the coach at VA, Léon Desmenez, who made my life hell for a year. When I think back, if that hadn't happened, maybe nothing would have happened. When you leave the INF, which is like the waiting room for training centers, you tell yourself: « I can't find anything harder. » And then you run into Desmenez, an old-school coach who, with his whistle, strips away those thoughts like: « I know how to do that, I won't do it anymore. » And in fact, you do more! These are the things that make you go beyond what you know how to do, and it allows you to move forward. There is also the pride of my first coaches when I was 10 or 11. It’s a whole. In fact, your Ballon d'Or gives you a massive rejuvenation. You think back to everything that was important. It’s like the strict teachers at school who you realize later were essential to your growth.”

At the Crazy Horse a few hours later, JPP was nonetheless out of his element, “not used to these kinds of festivities. I was with my wife, luckily... These are good memories because it only happens once. But you aren't aware of it when it’s happening. You are in your dream, you live the moment and you have to enjoy it. The day before the ceremony, we played Caen at home (5-0). The next morning, we left on a chartered plane with everyone who mattered. For two days, I was in another world and I went from surprise to surprise because I knew nothing. The restaurant on the Champs, the Crazy, where your name is displayed for life. And today, the owner of the Crazy is my neighbor where I live in Arcachon! He still talks to me about it! He brought me photos of the Ballon d'Or with the girls from back then!”

The man once affectionately parodied by Les Guignols is now firmly part of the elite. “And it’s a great source of pride,” he admits, taking us into his villa to see the Ballon d'Or on his coffee table, where his dog Leya, a magnificent grey English Setter, stands guard.

"I sincerely hope Mbappé gets a Ballon d'Or"

“I look at it every day. I didn't put it in a display case; I put it where I can see it. So, on this coffee table here in Chartres, and at home (in Arcachon), on a pedestal in the middle of the living room. That way, I can't miss it! I brought it with me to Chartres. I wanted my players to enjoy it. It’s a very personal object, but I wanted to share it. When I showed it to them at first, no one dared touch it. Then, they all took photos with it! You have to demystify it. I went to OM with it a few weeks ago, I presented it at the Vélodrome, and I was stunned by how it was received.”

For Marseille fans, in the long history of football, Papin shines like a diamond. “You look at all the names that pass through every season, and when you look at the Ballon d'Or winners' list, there are only forty-four! In the entire history of football, it’s just incredible. And you’re part of it. It’s very pleasant because that’s the ultimate goal: to remain an icon. But you never play for that.”

And if this fabulous distinction sometimes changed the way others looked at him—“more respect”—he hasn't changed. Moving to AC Milan the following season, he found himself almost anonymous again, “a star among stars, with two other Ballon d'Or winners, Gullit and Van Basten. You have to prove yourself more, work harder, and accept being pushed around sometimes. I sincerely hope Mbappé gets one. He has everything to receive one, or even several. But today, it’s more complicated.”

The conclusion belongs to him: “This trophy has never been a burden; quite the opposite—it’s Santa’s sack!”