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Argentina star Lautaro Martinez revealed that he was unhappy after finishing seventh in the 2024 Ballon d'Or ranking. The Inter Milan star had an exceptional 2023-24 season, winning silverware for both club and country.
Lautaro Martinez won the Serie A and the Supercoppa Italiana with Inter Milan last season, alongside the 2024 Copa America with Argentina. On the individual level, the Argentine finished as the top scorer of the Serie A (24 goals) and the Copa America (5 goals). Overall, Martinez recorded 35 goals and eight assists in 54 appearances for club and country.
Martinez notably scored the winning goal (112') for La Albiceleste in extra time in their 1-0 win over Colombia in the Copa America. He also netted the winner during stoppage time (90+1') for Internazionale in their 1-0 win over Napoli in the Supercoppa Italiana final.
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In an interview with DAZN, Lautaro Martinez mentioned that he expected to finish higher than seventh place in the Ballon d'Or rankings. He said (via Fabrizio Romano):
"To be honest, I was expecting more than seventh position at the Ballon d’Or. Sometimes at these awards they are unfair. I’ll be working hard to improve that position."
Manchester City star Rodri won the coveted Golden Ball this year, while Real Madrid stars Vinicius Jr. and Jude Bellingham ranked second and third respectively.
All data as per Transfermarkt.
When Lionel Messi named Lautaro Martinez as his favorite to win the Ballon d'Or
In an October 2024 interview with TyC Sports, Lionel Messi named Lautaro Martinez as his favorite to win the Ballon d'Or. He said (via OneFootball):
“Lautaro deserves the Ballon d’Or more than anyone else. He had a spectacular year, he scored in the final, and he was the top scorer in the Copa America.”
Despite his stellar season, Martinez was never considered among the major favorites to win the Golden Ball. It was widely reported that Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr. would win the prestigious award. However, hours before the ceremony, heavy reports claimed Rodri would be winning the Ballon d'Or.
The controversy led Real Madrid to boycott France Football's ceremony, with no representative from the club being present in Paris. The football world has since then been divided over Rodri's win, with some considering it well deserved while others considering Vinicius a more deserving winner.
Meanwhile, Lionel Messi did not feature in France Football's 30-man shortlist for the coveted award this year following his move outside Europe. The former Barcelona superstar has won a record eight Ballons d'Or in his career, with his latest coming in 2023.
