Inter Milan CEO Giuseppe Marotta has expressed his disappointment and surprise at Lautaro Martinez’s exclusion from the shortlist for FIFA’s The Best Men’s Player award. The Argentine striker, who had an exceptional season with both Inter and the national team, was notably absent from the list of 11 candidates announced for the 2024 award.
Speaking to ANSA, Marotta did not mince words in his criticism of the decision: “It is surprising and disappointing that Lautaro Martinez was not considered among the candidates for FIFA’s The Best Men’s Player after an exceptional season. His extraordinary performances helped lead Inter to a historic achievement and the Argentine national team to victory in the Copa America. In both competitions, he was also the top scorer of the tournament. Lautaro deserves more respect and greater recognition.”
The Inter president further emphasized the impact of Martinez’s performances, stating, “This exclusion seems to ignore not only the numbers and successes but also the impact he had in decisive matches. This is a negative signal; players who distinguish themselves in such an important way should be rewarded. We hope that in the future, due recognition will be given to those who, like Lautaro, continue to shine on the field.”
Despite his exclusion from the main award, Martinez has been nominated for the FIFA FIFPro Men’s World11, alongside Inter teammates Sommer, Dimarco, Bastoni, and Calhanoglu. However, for the top individual honor, he was overlooked in favor of players such as Bellingham, Carvajal, Haaland, Kroos, Mbappé, Messi, Rodri, Valverde, Vinicius, Wirtz, and Yamal.
