“More clutch than Messi”, “Deserves Ballon d'Or” - Fans salute Argentina star after 1-0 Copa America win over Chile
Lionel Messi's Argentina registered their second win in Copa America 2024 with a goal in the dying minutes against Chile to cement their position at the top of Group A. The cagey game was turned on its head in the 88th minute, courtesy of a Lautaro Martinez goal that came from a Messi corner on Tuesday, June 25. Fans were mighty impressed with Martinez and shared their reactions on social media.
In the 88th minute, Messi's left-footed corner pinged around the penalty box until Lautaro Martinez wrapped his right foot around it and slotted the ball home amid a forest of players. La Albiceleste fans across the internet have been raving about the Inter Milan striker, and some have even given him Ballon d'Or shouts. A few of the reactions from fans are as follows:
"He deserves Ballon d'Or," declared a fan.
"Lautaro Martinez will miss a simple goal but score a banger," commented one on X.
"Lautaro Martinez for Argentina in this Copa America: 31 minutes played/ 2 goals scored," pointed another fan.
"The most important player in both matches they won isn’t in this picture/Lautaro Martinez…..El Toroooooo," raved another fan.
Some even compared the Inter Milan striker to Lionel Messi, calling him better than La Pulga for Argentina.
"More clutch than Messi," commented one user.
"The hero," announced another X user.
"carries Messi all the time," opined another Argentina fan.
Some fans commented that Martinez shouldn't be used as a substitute and needed to play the full 90 minutes because of his red-hot form.
"This guy should be a starter man! You can't leave a man in THIS FORM on the bench," said another X user.
Lautaro Martinez was the ultimate super-sub in Argentina's clash against Chile. The Inter Milan sharpshooter played just 17 minutes for La Albiceleste and it was enough for him to make the difference. In those 17 minutes, he maintained a 100% passing accuracy and looked lethal every time he made runs into the penalty box or had the ball at his feet.
Argentina will face Peru in their last group-stage match on Saturday (June 29) before marching onto the knockout stages of the tournament.
Why did Lionel Messi donate his eighth Ballon d'Or to Barcelona?
Lionel Messi has more Ballon d'Ors than most countries of the world. La Pulga won his eighth and latest Golden Ball from France Football in 2023 courtesy his jaw-dropping performance at the FIFA World Cup 2022. However, Lionel Messi decided to donate his Ballon d'Or to the Catalan club's museum.
The 37-year-old's love for Barcelona is known across the footballing fraternity. A report by Bien Sports explained that he didn't want his first six Ballon d'Ors to be separate from his eighth trophy. Therefore, he chose to donate it to Barcelona's museum despite winning it while playing for Inter Miami.