It was very clear, the Ballon d'Ors that Messi would have won according to Lautaro Martínez

The ceremony for the most prestigious award in world football, the Ballon d'Or, is held at the Théâtre du Châtelet in the French capital. It is the 67th edition of this recognition given by France Football magazine and has four Argentine representatives among the 30 nominees: Lautaro Martínez, who took 20th place, Emiliano Martínez in 15th, Julián Álvarez and Lionel Messi, the great favorite to obtain the trophy for the eighth time in his career.

France Football magazine presents the most important awards in world football at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, among which the Ballon d'Or for the best male player of the year stands out. The best young footballer is also recognized with the Kopa award, the best goalkeeper with the Lev Yashin award and the best player with the women's Ballon d'Or, among others. Messi, who was not among the candidates last year, returns with great possibilities of winning his eighth trophy in his career.

The player, who reached the Champions League final with Inter, spoke before the award ceremony about the importance of enjoying these moments. “Sometimes thoughts from when I was a child cross my mind, because these are little dreams that come true. The objective is to achieve individual and group objectives,” explained the forward prior to the ceremony.

The Ballon d'Or nominee, who plays as a striker, emphasized that the essential thing is to be present at the ceremony and stated: “This is the best after having won the World Cup. Living all this is a true dream, merit to the work that is done every day for the better and better.”

The number of Ballon d'Ors that Messi would have won

Lautaro Martínez spoke about the possibility of Lionel Messi obtaining his eighth Ballon d'Or. “We must thank him for everything he did for football. If he didn't share an era with Cristiano Ronaldo, he would take home 15 trophies,” the player who emerged from the Academy's lower ranks stated with a laugh during the run-up to the awards.