As reiterated after the victory over Empoli, Lautaro Martinez would have expected more than the seventh place he received in the final Ballon d’Or rankings. The forward, who was the top scorer and MVP of last season’s Serie A dominated with Inter, and also the top scorer of the most recent Copa America won with Argentina, has publicly expressed his disappointment.
Marco Materazzi, former footballer of Inter, also discussed Lautaro’s seventh place this morning in the pages of La Gazzetta dello Sport: “Where did he deserve to be? Certainly among the top five. I have nothing to say about Rodri or whoever won the Champions League and European Championship, like Carvajal. Lautaro also won, and he did so with Inter and Argentina… He’s right to say he expected more.
MESSI’S WORDS – “Well, Lauti should hold on to those words, because Messi’s opinion is worth more than the entire Ballon d’Or jury combined. And I’ll also add the affection of all Inter fans: Lautaro is a symbol, a true captain, he led the team to a historic achievement like the Serie A title. These are the factors that motivate you to do more, to raise your level to achieve even more victories.
FUTURE LAUTARO – “It’s an exciting match. It’s stimulating because, regardless of the voting criteria, he will be comparing himself to big forwards like Mbappé and Haaland. However, due to his character and temperament, I would choose Lautaro anytime. And I wish him to match my record: winning the league title, Champions League, World Cup for clubs and World Cup in the national team. There are still the last two boxes to fill…”
