3 days ago
Lautaro Martinez: World Cup winner and Inter hero — so why's he underrated?
Lautaro Martínez must occasionally reflect on the sliding-doors moments in his life.
It has been a complex journey from the windswept streets of Bahia Blanca to a second Champions League final in three years. But now, Inter Milan icon status is right there. He can see it, taste it.
By the age of 27, Martínez has already won almost everything imaginable: a World Cup, two Copa Americas, two Coppa Italias, two Serie A titles.
Almost. Leading the Nerazzurri to victory in Munich would not only complete the set but would make him just the third player to captain this storied club to European glory, after Armando Picchi and Javier Zanetti.
The former was the leader of Helenio Herrera's 'Grande Inter' side, while the latter remains the only man to lead an Italian club to the Treble. It is esteemed company to keep.
Martínez is unlikely to spend much time pinching himself before his duel with Paris Saint-Germain 's own group of history-chasing talents, though. This is, after all, a man known as El Toro — The Bull — a nickname that fits both his fire-in-the-eyes playing style and his storming rise to the top of world football.
'When I was little, I had nothing. Sometimes I wouldn't know where I was sleeping that night,' Martínez told Corriere della Sera in December. 'These things leave their mark on you. I try to use everything I've been through when I'm on the pitch.'
Although those early years hardened him, Martínez took some time to adjust after leaving his hometown to join Racing in 2014 and suffered from homesickness. When Real Madrid came knocking a year later, moving was too daunting a prospect.
'Everything was agreed, but he made the decision not to go… he was not ready,' his father Mario said.
That timidity did not apply to Lautaro's football, though. The tenacious striker was a student of the game and paid for video tapes of his matches with his own money so he could analyse his performances.
It was unsurprising, then, that he soon found himself as a player. He idolised Radamel Falcao, but at Racing Martínez quickly carved out a reputation of his own as one of South American football's most exciting strikers.
Inter swooped in 2018, and Martínez's feats at the San Siro have been staggering ever since. After serving his debut season as Mauro Icardi's deputy, Martínez grabbed a regular starting spot and began to do what he does best: score goals. Lots of them.
He scored 21 in the 2019-20 season. Then 19, 25, 28. Martínez hitting double figures became as inevitable as the sunrise. Last season's haul of 27 included 24 in Serie A, earning him his first capocannoniere crown as top scorer and the league's MVP award.
That was followed up by another Golden Boot at the Copa America as he scored the winner in the final for Argentina, and his 22 goals this season have included nine in the Champions League, propelling Inter to the brink of history.
Martínez's influence goes beyond goals, though. He is a leader by example, a player of buzzing industriousness who has put his body on the line in a year that has been relentless from the Copa America onwards.
It almost ended in tears when he was forced off with a hamstring problem halfway through the first leg of a semi-final classic against Barcelona. 'I cried for two days,' he said afterwards. Yet somehow, improbably, he was back on the pitch a week later for the second leg. Inevitably, he scored.
The former Inter and Brazil great Ronaldo was struck by 'the expression' on Martínez's face in that game. 'He wasn't well, but he looked like he wanted to devour the match.' Ronaldo told Gazzetta dello Sport. 'I imagine in Munich he will be hungry for the ball.'
Martínez's recovery is the best news in what has been a bad week for Inter. Their Serie A title defence ended on Friday when Napoli pipped them by a point, but the Argentinian returned to the bench in Como. He hasn't featured since doing everything possible to recover for the Barcelona return leg but insists he now 'feels at 100 per cent'.
'He didn't know if he would make it, he was in tears at the end of the match,' said Zanetti, now vice-president of Inter. 'He showed he has a big heart… he is our captain and our role model; he has unique garra [tenacity].'
Despite his glittering CV and dazzling array of individual honours and records, Martínez remains underrated outside Milan. He admitted he 'sometimes' feels underappreciated after finishing seventh in the Ballon d'Or vote last year, a personal best.
Perhaps the memory of the 2022 World Cup works against him, a tournament where he was benched for Julián Alvarez after two games. Perhaps his Inter record is not appreciated widely enough. Or perhaps he simply needs a Champions League trophy to become a top-three Ballon d'Or candidate.
Regardless, it has been quite the rise from homesick student to the cusp of Inter greatness.
The Grande Inter talisman Sandro Mazzola warned PSG that Martínez 'often scores when you least expect it… and his goals are always crucial'. Inter will hope he's right. It is all or nothing now. The club explicitly targeted the Treble this season but will be left empty-handed if they fail in Munich. It is the ultimate test of El Toro's marksmanship and leadership.
'He seemed in despair at losing the Scudetto. A captain knows how to transform anger into something positive,' Ronaldo added. The time is now for Martínez. Only when the job is done might he reflect on his remarkable journey.
Champions League final
