Trophy is key to d'Or for Lautaro

INTER ACE STUNNED BY BALLON VOTERS

- Neil McLeman

VINICIUS JR and Real Madrid were not the only ones shocked by the Ballon d’Or vote last year.

Inter Milan captain Lautaro Martinez, who helped to win Serie A and was top scorer as Argentina took the Copa America, was not even in the top six.

The closest he came to an award that night was handing the Yashin Trophy for the best goalkeeper to Aston Villa’s Emi Martinez.

With pace, power and an eye for goal, Lautaro is Inter’s best hope of beating Paris Saint-Germain in Munich.

Alongside Ousmane Dembele and Gigi Donnarumma, he is one of the favourites for this year’s Ballon d’Or and is still the most underrated player on the planet.

Lautaro said: “I expected better than seventh place in the Ballon d’Or. Sometimes these awards are unfair.