Lionel Messi team-mate becomes latest star to take aim at 'unfair' Ballon d'Or

This year's Ballon d'Or awards sparked fury aft Rodri bushed Vinicius Junior to the coveted trophy, but it is not lone the Real Madrid attacker who feels hard down by

Inter Milan prima Lautaro Martinez has branded the Ballon d'Or awards 'unfair' aft helium finished seventh successful this year's rankings.

Manchester City midfielder Rodri took location the coveted trophy successful a daze result, with Brazil prima Vinicius Junior having been expected to win. Real Madrid boycotted the ceremony aft uncovering retired Vinicius had finished second.

Martinez was voted successful seventh, finishing down Rodri and Vinicius, arsenic good arsenic Jude Bellingham, Dani Carvajal, Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe. That was contempt the striker firing Inter to the Serie A rubric past season, finishing arsenic the apical scorer successful Italy.

He followed that up by winning the Copa America with Argentina, again claiming the aureate footwear grant successful that tournament. As a result, Martinez feels hard-done-by successful the Ballon d'Or, though helium is present trying to crook his absorption backmost towards Inter's rubric defence.

“Surely, it’s imaginable to improve. Honestly, I expected more, but I enactment for Inter and the Argentina nationalist team. These awards are unfair sometimes, but I americium blessed with the enactment I americium doing. I americium getting backmost successful shape," helium told DAZN aft Inter bushed Empoli connected Wednesday.

"As you know, I started the pre-season aboriginal aft a agelong campaign. I didn’t remainder overmuch and played a lot, truthful it’s mean to beryllium tired. But we each effort to bash our best, and we indispensable proceed due to the fact that the play is inactive long.

"Empoli are successful signifier and pugnacious to face. They person physicality, and they play good successful midfield. We prepared the crippled successful the champion way. It’s easier erstwhile you are up 1 man, but you person to triumph games. Not conceding was important. We truly needed these 3 points."

HAVE YOUR SAY! Who should person won this year's Ballon d'Or? Comment below.

The men’s Ballon d’Or is voted for by 100 journalists, 1 from each of FIFA’s 100 top-ranked subordinate nations. Each writer picks their apical 10 from the 30-player shortlist with descending points values for each prime (first is 15 points, 2nd is 12, 3rd is 10 etc).

The subordinate who receives the astir wide points wins the yearly award. Following the confirmation that Vinicius had missed out, his planetary team-mate Richarlison slammed the awards organisers.

"All of america who unrecorded shot eagerly await the idiosyncratic awards each season. Today, each Brazilians who emotion shot woke up expecting to spot different subordinate from our state triumph an grant for the champion successful the world aft truthful long," Richarlison said.

"Unfortunately, for reasons that nary 1 tin understand, the grant did not come. And don't get maine wrong, Rodri is simply a large subordinate who deserves to beryllium among the best. But Vini not winning the Ballon d'Or was embarrassing, and the lone 1 who mislaid contiguous was football.

"I retrieve Vini saying that his imagination was to spot the full of Brazil cheering for him. And that time was today! You are a elephantine and the champion successful the world, kid! And nary trophy volition alteration that. Keep going and ne'er unopen up! We're together!"

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