The 26-year-old Argentine and Inter striker Lautaro Martinez has claimed that Al Nassr star Ronaldo, who has won the Ballon d'Or on five occasions, was the only player stopping Messi winning this accolade many, many more times.
Lionel Messi won his eighth Ballon d'Or on Monday night, edging out Manchester City's Erling Haaland and Paris Saint-Germain's Kylian Mbappe. Before the 36-year-old picked up another gong, compatriot Lautaro Martinez, who came 20th on the list following his successful 2022/23 season with Inter and his country, made a striking claim about the Inter Miami star.
He told ESPN before the ceremony: “He [Messi] had to share this era with Cristiano Ronaldo, otherwise he would have won the Ballon d'Or 15 times.”
During his round of interviews in the mixed zone, Lautaro also spoke to Spanish Twitcher Ibai Llanos who asked the Nerazzurri forward if he was really close to joining Real Madrid last summer.
“We are talking about a very important club, but my thoughts are only for Inter,” El Toro replied.
“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.”
Lautaro is under contract with Inter until June 2026, but the Nerazzurri CEO Beppe Marotta has recently confirmed that the 26-year-old wants to stay at the club, so he will soon be offered a new contract.
Lautaro is the current Serie A leading scorer with 11 goals in 10 appearances.
