The striker was top scorer in Serie A last season and also won the Golden Boot at the Copa America – yet doubts persist over his consistency
While the rest of the world was arguing over whether Rodri or Vinicius Junior deserved to receive the 2024 Ballon d'Or, eight-time winner Lionel Messi was pushing the claims of compatriot Lautaro Martinez.
"He had a spectacular year, he was the top scorer in the Copa America and he scored in the final," the Argentina captain pointed out in October. "He deserves the Ballon d'Or more than anyone else."
However, despite reports in the Italian press that Lautaro was set to at least finish in the top five, he ended up seventh – more than 500 points off a podium place. Even more shockingly, the 2023-24 Serie A MVP didn't even get a nomination for The Best FIFA Men's Player award – and yet his omission barely generated any headlines outside of Italy and Argentina.
Why? Because Lautaro is an incredibly divisive talent that seems to have achieved that rare feat of being simultaneously underappreciated and overrated.
Getty Images SportThe same level as Mbappe, Haaland & Lewy?
In May of this year, Lautaro was asked if he believes he ranks among the very best forwards in the game today, alongside superstars such as Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland and Robert Lewandowski.
"Yes," he told the , "I have nothing to envy. The numbers and the trophies say it: there are champions who have won less than me. I have to continue to work responsibly, as my father taught me, but I can sit at the same table as these greats."
And yet even after the best year of his professional career, Lautaro still isn't getting the credit he feels he deserves and that's inevitably hurt him, as it was clear during the run-up to the Ballon d'Or ceremony that the Argentine was excited by the prospect of being recognised for finishing as the Capocannoniere during Italy's historic 20th Italian title triumph before then collecting the Golden Boot at the Copa America in the United States.
"I always work hard to help the team, but individual awards mean a lot too, as they show you are working well," he admitted to .
AdvertisementGetty Images SportThe Ballon d'Or disappointment
It was hardly a shock, then, to see Lautaro react so bitterly to finishing behind not only Vinicius (second), arguably the biggest disappointment during Brazil's calamitous Copa America campaign, but also Erling Haaland (fifth), whose limitations as a player were exposed last season, and Kylian Mbappe (sixth), a player plagued by mental and physical problems since flopping for France at Euro 2024.
"[Seventh] is a position that I can improve, but honestly I expected more," Lautaro told . "At the end of the day, though, I work for Inter and for Argentina – and sometimes these awards are not always assigned fairly anyway…"
There's certainly no denying that the Ballon d'Or has a long history of ridiculous results but Lautaro's hardly entitled to feel anywhere near as aggrieved as the likes of Robert Lewandowski, Franck Ribery and Thierry Henry.
Getty ImagesPlaying through the pain
Lautaro was undeniably integral to Inter claiming their second star last season. He hit a career-high 24 goals in 33 Serie A appearances – which is one of the main reasons why the Nerazzurri were able to wrap up the Scudetto with five games to go by beating city rivals AC Milan at San Siro.
His form is made all the more impressive for the fact that he was significantly hindered by a persistent ankle problem during his club's title-winning campaign.
"I was on the verge of having an operation," the Inter captain revealed in July. "My ankle made me suffer a lot. I was playing with injections because I was in a lot of pain. But I gritted my teeth and got to the end of the season."
Then, perhaps even more impressively, he played a starring role in last summer's Copa America.
Getty Images SportRepaying a debt
For Lautaro, the 2022 World Cup had been a tournament of mixed emotions. It ended in glory for Argentina and he had played his part, converting the decisive spot-kick in the quarter-final shootout win over Netherlands.
However, the centre-forward didn't net once from open play and was completely overshadowed by Julian Alvarez, who took Lautaro's starting spot after the embarrassing opening-round loss to Saudi Arabia and never looked back.
"When the World Cup ended and I received the gold medal I was very happy with what we had achieved," Lautaro subsequently explained, "but, personally, I knew I was in debt, because my ankle didn't allow me to do what I wanted."
Consequently, Lautaro felt as if he had paid his dues when he fired home his fifth goal at the 2024 Copa America – in the 112nd minute of the final win over Colombia.
"Of course, it's not the same as a World Cup," he acknowledged, "but I can say that I prepared myself as best I could to face this competition and remove this thorn from my side."
