As Argentinean striker Lionel Messi picked up his fourth successive Ballon d’Or award in Zurich this week, Eurovision was there shooting red-carpet interviews with some of football’s biggest stars for the Sports News Exchange.

Eurovision had access to film the press conference presenting the candidates, the red-carpet arrivals of stars and their departures. 

Jostling with a spirited press pack, Eurovision sports news producer Jens-Thilo Rumphorst grabbed interviews with some of the biggest names in the business, including Lionel Messi, FIFA President Sepp Blatter and former AC Milan star striker Andriy Shevchenko, as well as French actor Gerard Depardieu.

Ducking a question about whether he had travelled to Zurich on a French or Russian passport, Depardieu told Eurovision he was a fan of women’s football, where there was “less of an issue with egos”.

Eurovision Sports News Editor Ine Bjolseth said creating material for the Sports News Exchange was an important strand of the service.

She said: “We aim to produce value-added sports news material that our Members may not have the resources to make or source otherwise. The Ballon d’Or is a prime example of an event where Eurovision can go the extra mile to enhance our Members’ sports news output.”

After the event, data tracking showed that Eurovision’s material was used 400 times in 20 countries.