Inter legend and current Nerazzurri vice president Javier Zanetti has given his verdict on Lautaro Martinez’s Ballon d’Or chances.
On Tuesday, the Serie A giants reached their second Champions League final in three seasons after seeing off Barcelona 7-6 on aggregate.
The two-legged semi-final epic has already been regarded as the best games in European club competition history. In Spain last week, Inter and Barca played out a thrilling 3-3 draw.
Davide Frattesi sent the CBS studio into fits of laughter when he dropped the f-bomb live on TV whilst describing his extra-time winner in the 4-3 victory at the San Siro.
Martinez opened the scoring in the remarkable comeback win. Not only has El Toro starred for Inter this season, Zanetti believes he is a genuine Ballon d’Or contender.
Javier Zanetti Rates Lautaro Martinez’s Ballon d’Or Chances
“Lautaro? In the game against Barcelona, he gave everything until he was substituted. He’s important for both Inter and the national team,” Zanetti explained.
“He always gives his best. And there’s no doubt he has what it takes to win the Ballon d’Or. He’s happy here, he feels valued and important. He has a strong sense of belonging. When you feel comfortable, that helps a lot.”
In 2024, Martinez finished seventh in the rankings but was never really considered a front-runner to take home the coveted award.
If the Argentine 2022 World Cup winner can lead the Nerazzurri to Champions League glory, he’ll certainly be discussed in the same way as Raphinha, Lamine Yamal and Ousmane Dembele.
Standing in Inter’s and Martinez’s way are PSG. The Ligue 1 side has never won Europe’s elite club competition. However, the Parisians came runners-up in 2020 when Bayern Munich beat them 1-0.
From Martinez’s perspective, if he can lead Inter to the Serie A title alongside the UCL, he would be very deserving of soccer’s most prestigious individual honor.
