Lautaro Martinez of Inter Milan has claimed that Lionel Messi would have won 15 Ballon d’Or if he didn’t exist in the same era as Cristiano Ronaldo.
What has happened to Lionel Messi?
The Argentine captain secured his eighth Ballon d’Or title on Monday, 30th of October ahead of Manchester City Erling Haaland and Kylain Mbappe of Paris Saint Germain.
However, before the 2022 FIFA World Cup winner picked up the prestigious award, Mautaro Martinez who was 20th on the Ballon d’Or ranking following his successful 2022/2023 campaign with Inter Milan and Argentina made a notable comment about the former FC Barcelona star.
Lautaro Martinez declared that Al Nassr forward Cristiano Ronaldo, who has gained the Ballon d’Or five times, was the only one playing to stop Lionel Messi from winning the award 15 times.
Speaking to reporters before the ceremony in Paris, Martinez said; “He [Messi] had to share this era with Cristiano Ronaldo, otherwise he would have won the Ballon d’Or 15 times”.
Lionel Messi is arguably the greatest football player of all time, having won everything there is to win in the beautiful game, both at the international and club level.
Judging by his performances at his current club side, inter Miami, and for Argentina, where he guided them to a World Cup victory in November 2022 in Qatar, he’s showing no sign of slowing down anytime soon.
Karim Benzema, who won the award in 2022, and Luka Modric (2018) were the only two players apart from Ronaldo and Messi to win the accolade since 2007.
Victor Osimhen of Napoli was also ranked among the best in Serie A, finishing 8th place ahead of his teammate Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Inter Milan’s Nicolo Barella.
Lautaro Martinez is still under contract at Inter Milan until the summer of 2026, and the club CEO Beppe Marotta has recently announced that the 26-year-old wants to stay at the Italian club, therefore, he will be handed a new deal soon.
The Argentine forward is currently the leading goalscorer in Serie A with 11 goals in 10 games.
During his recent interview with football insiders, Lautaro also spoke about his potential move to Real Madrid last summer.
He said; “We are talking about a very important club, but my thoughts are only for Inter”.
“I am really happy there, I have a contract and my family is happy in Milan. This is a special night for me, so I thank Inter and the Argentinean national team”.
“I hope I can take Inter as high as possible in 2024 and represent Argentina in the best possible way. I want to win titles, this is what sport is about”.
What next for Lionel Messi and Martinez?
Messi is likely to link up with Martinez in coming weeks when Argentina lock horns against Uruguay and Brazil on November 17 and 22 respectively.
