The Best FIFA Awards: Lautaro Martinez snub upsets Inter: ‘More respect’ | OneFootball

Inter President Beppe Marotta is ‘surprised and disappointed’ that Nerazzurri captain Lautaro Martinez was not among the nominees for The Best FIFA Awards.

FIFA revealed their award’s nominees on Friday morning, including Carlo Ancelotti as a candidate for the ‘Best Coach’ and Inter’s Federico Dimarco among the contenders for the Puskas Award.

Dimarco’s teammate and captain, Lautaro Martinez, was surprisingly snubbed by the FIFA panel, upsetting Nerazzurri president Marotta.

“It’s surprising and disappointing that Lautaro was not considered among the candidates for The Best FIFA Awards after a fantastic season,” said Marotta as quoted by Gazzetta.

The Best FIFA Awards: Lautaro Martinez snub upsets Inter: ‘More respect’

Lautaro Martinez was the best Serie A scorer last season, contributing to Inter’s 20th Serie A title, worthy of a second star on their chests. He was the best scorer in the Copa America as well and even contributed to La Seleccion’s victory by netting the winner in the final.

“His extraordinary performances helped Inter achieve a historic milestone and Argentina win the Copa America, and he became the top goal scorer in both competitions,” continued Marotta.

“Lautaro deserves more respect and recognition from FIFA.

“This exclusion doesn’t only seem to ignore the numbers and successes but also the impact he had in crucial games,” concluded the Inter President.

“This is a negative signal. The players who stand out in such an impressive way should be recognised. We hope players who continue to shine on the pitch will be given appropriate recognition in the future.”

Lautaro finished 7th in the 2004 Ballon d’Or ranking but admitted that the result didn’t please him, calling the verdict ‘unfair.’

A 2022 Argentina World Cup winner, Lautaro Martinez has 135 goals in 289 appearances with Inter.