Inter Milan & Argentina Superstar Spurred On By Ballon D’Or Podium Disappointment – Targeting Champions League Glory | OneFootball

Inter Milan captain Lautaro Martinez has been spurred on by the disappointment of a seventh-place finish in Ballon d’Or voting.

Today’s print edition of Milan-based newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, via FCInterNews, report that the 27-year-old is hungrier than ever for Champions League glory after what he sees as a bit of a snub.

Inter captain Martinez finished seventh in the voting for this year’s Ballon d’Or.

That is hardly a small achievement for any player.

However, in the circumstances the Nerazzurri captain felt that he would have deserved even more.

Martinez won the Serie A title last season as the captain of Inter and the top scorer in the league.

And then over the summer the Argentine was the top scorer at the Copa America as the Albiceleste lifted the trophy. He scored the winner in the final against Colombia.

Therefore, Martinez hasn’t hidden the fact that he felt that he deserved to be on the podium.

Lautaro Martinez Spurred On By Ballon D’Or Podium Disappointment

Martinez’s snub from the podium hasn’t generated nearly the kind of drama that the selection of Manchester City’s Rodri over Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr. has done.

However, that doesn’t change the fact that it is a disappointment for the Inter captain.

From Martinez’s perspective, the question is: what more could have done to place higher? Martinez scored prolifically and won major trophies to cap off a memorable 2024.

But there is one trophy in particular that Martinez failed to lift.

Inter went out in the round of sixteen of the Champions League last season. This was the big disappointment in an otherwise stellar season – particularly after they’d reached the previous season’s final.

Moreover, Martinez had the misfortune of being the player who missed the decisive penalty in a shootout against Atletico Madrid. This became a symbol of the Nerazzurri’s failure.

On the other hand, three Real Madrid players placed above Martinez in voting. This was emblematic of the importance of the Spanish giants’ Champions League conquest in voting.

So that has become the target for Martinez.

The Champions League is the one honour that’s missing from the 27-year-old’s glittering trophy cabinet.

And it’s also a competition in which Martinez has often failed to impress on the biggest stage.

It is the view of the Inter captain that if he can lead his team to glory in Europe, then greater adulation on a Ballon d’Or level will follow.