Lautaro Martinez believes Lionel Messi would have won the Ballon d’Or “15 times” without his rival Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Argentine World Cup winner won his eighth Ballon d’Or on Monday evening, ahead of Erling Haaland (Manchester City) and Kylian Mbappé (Paris Saint-Germain). Before the 36-year-old was presented with a new trophy, his compatriot Martinez, 20th on the list after his successful 2022/23 season with Inter and his country, made a striking statement about the Inter star Miami. The 26-year-old claimed that Al-Nassr star Ronaldo, who won the Ballon d’Or five times, was the only player stopping Messi from winning the title many more times.
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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.
Messi is arguably the greatest footballer of all time. He has won just about everything there is to win in the sport, whether at club or international level. And if his performances at Inter Miami and with Argentina, whom he led to victory in the World Cup last year, are anything to go by, he’s not slowing down any time soon. Furthermore, the only two other players to have won the Ballon d’Or since 2007, when Kaká won, are Luka Modric (2018) and Karim Benzema (2022).
2023-10-31 07:47:42
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