Lautaro Martinez told Lionel Messi's opinion is 'more important' than Ballon d'Or jury's after Inter star left fuming by award outcome

Martinez did not hide his disappointment at his lower than expected placing in the Ballon d'Or rankings this week, calling his seventh-place finish "unfair" as Manchester City star Rodri went on to win the award.

Martinez had a wonderful year playing for Inter in Serie A as he scored 27 goals and assisted three more in all competitions, playing a huge part in Inter's league and cup double. He went on to score five times as Argentina won the Copa America in the summer.

More so than Rodri or Vinicius Junior, Messi argued that it was his Argentina team-mate who deserved to take home the award, and those sentiments, Materazzi says, outweigh the honour of winning the Ballon d'Or.

In an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport, 2006 World Cup winner Materazzi said: "He is undoubtedly top five. You can't complain about Rodri, who won the Champions League and the Euros, or Dani Caravajal. But Lautaro has also won trophies with Inter and Argentina. He's right when he says he expects more. I think the Ballon d'Or doesn't count much. The real value is determined by the clubs with which you win trophies. Lautaro has won the World Cup and two Copa America, the last one as a top scorer. This is what counts."

Materazzi added: "Lautaro must heed Messi's words, because his judgement is more important than the one of the Ballon d'Or jury."

Martinez will have to recover from this disappointment quickly, as Inter are set to face Arsenal in the Champions League and Serie A leaders Napoli before the November international break begins. Martinez has five goals and two assists in all competitions so far this campaign, and will want to maintain that form against their upcoming opponents.