Argentine Lionel Messi, the American star for Inter Miami, has chosen his favorite candidate to win the Ballon d'Or for Best Player in 2024.
Messi, who won the 2023 Ballon d'Or, his eighth in his career, was absent from the list of nominees for the award this year.
The Argentine international did not mention the Real Madrid duo, Brazilian Vinicius Junior and Englishman Jude Bellingham, the winners of the Champions League, but rather chose his compatriot Lautaro Martinez, the Italian Inter Milan and Argentina national team striker.
The former Barcelona star said, “He had a wonderful overall season, scored a goal in the final, and was the top scorer in the Copa America. He deserves the Ballon d'Or more than anyone else. I hope (Lautaro) Martinez wins the Ballon d'Or.”
🇦🇷👀🏆 Messi backs Lautaro for Ballon D’Or
“Lautaro deserves the Ballon D’Or more than anyone. He had a spectacular year, he scored a goal in the final, he was the top scorer in Copa America.” – Messi
“I don’t know if I deserve to win the Ballon D’Or but after the spectacular… pic.twitter.com/c0GqmeLNCd
— Italian Football TV (@IFTVofficial) October 16, 2024
Lautaro is on a list of 30 players nominated to win the Ballon d'Or in 2024, and reports indicate that he is among the first three most likely players, along with Vinicius and Billingham.
Like very few times in the past decade, neither Messi nor Cristiano Ronaldo, the Saudi Al-Nasr striker, was among the candidates to win the precious award, the winner of which will be revealed on October 28.
Messi contributed by scoring a hat-trick in Argentina's huge victory over Bolivia (6-0), on Wednesday, in the South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.