Lautaro Martínez believes that Lionel Messi would have won many more awards if it weren’t for Cristiano Ronaldo.
WHAT HAPPENED? Inter Milan striker Lautaro Martínez has claimed that his Argentinian compatriot Lionel Messi would have been even more successful in winning the Ballon d’Or over the years if he hadn’t had a long-term rival in Cristiano Ronaldo.
On Monday, Messi picked up the eighth Golden Ball of his career in Paris. He prevailed in the vote against Erling Haaland (Manchester City) and Kylian Mbappé (PSG).
WHAT WAS SAID? Martínez said ESPN before the awards ceremony: “Messi had to share his era with Cristiano Ronaldo, otherwise he would have won the Ballon d’Or 15 times.”
THE NEWS IN PICTURES:
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WHAT IS THE BACKGROUND? Many fans and experts consider Messi to be the best footballer in the world. With the triumph at the 2022 World Cup, he completed his collection of titles. The 36-year-old is currently ending his career with Inter Miami in the MLS.
Cristiano Ronaldo won the Ballon d’Or five times. Together with Messi, the duo dominated and shaped an era in world football. After Kakà won the Ballon d’Or in 2007, there were only two other players not named Messi or Ronaldo to win the Golden Ball: Luka Modric (2018) and Karim Benzema (2022).
2023-10-31 12:44:07
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