Lautaro Martínez
Centre-Forward · Inter Milan · Argentina
About Lautaro Martínez
Lautaro Martínez is one of the most dangerous centre-forwards in world football. Signed by Inter Milan from Racing Club in 2018, he built a devastating strike partnership with Lionel Messi that helped fire Argentina to major international silverware in the early 2020s, and has since become one of Inter's most important modern-era players.
Lautaro Martínez's story
Bahía Blanca's Best
Martínez grew up in Bahía Blanca — a city known for producing basketball players more than footballers — and came through Racing Club's youth system. His exceptional movement and goal sense attracted Inter Milan, who paid €90m for him in 2018. He took time to settle but his growth under Simone Inzaghi has been extraordinary — he is now Inter's captain and the most prolific Argentine striker since Gabriel Batistuta.
Argentina's Captain
After Messi's gradual international withdrawal, Lautaro has shouldered more of the attacking burden — and responded with goals and performances that confirm his status as Argentina's most important striker. The 2026 World Cup on South American soil (for Argentina's matches) represents the peak challenge of his career.
Finding His Feet in Italy
Martínez's first season at Inter Milan, in 2018-19, was far from smooth: Luciano Spalletti built his attack around Mauro Icardi, and the €90m signing from Racing Club was often reduced to late cameos off the bench. His breakthrough came only once Icardi's situation at the club unravelled that same season, handing Martínez a run in the side he never gave up. Antonio Conte turned him into a title winner in 2020-21, the first of what has since become a career built on peaking at the biggest moments.
A Family of Footballers
Football ran in the family long before Lautaro made it professionally: his father, Mario Martínez, played more than two decades in Argentina's lower divisions, and Lautaro has often credited his parents, Mario and Karina, and his brothers Alan and Jano, with instilling the discipline that carried him through a homesick, uncertain start in Racing Club's academy far from Bahía Blanca.
Did you know?
- 🏆 Scored 5 goals in the 2024 Copa América to win the Golden Boot as Argentina retained the title — part of their extraordinary run of trophies alongside the 2021 Copa América and 2022 World Cup.
- 🐂 Nicknamed 'El Toro' (The Bull) for his explosive aggression and strength in tight spaces. Has formed one of the most feared strike partnerships in Europe with Edin Džeko and later Marcus Thuram at Inter Milan.
- 💍 Married Agustina Gandolfo, his partner since 2016, at Villa d'Este on Lake Como in May 2023.
- ⚽ His 24-goal haul in the 2023-24 season is one of the best single-season tallies by an Argentine forward in Serie A since Gabriel Batistuta's peak years at Fiorentina.
- 🎖️ Named Inter Milan captain following the departure of the club's senior leadership group.
- 🇦🇷 Sits fourth on Argentina's all-time scoring list with 40 goals, one behind Sergio Agüero — behind only Lionel Messi and Gabriel Batistuta.
- 🥅 His penalty in the shootout won Argentina the 2022 World Cup final against France — the decisive kick of the tournament.
- ⚡ Beat England with a stoppage-time header in the 2026 World Cup semi-final, sending Argentina into the final.
- 🤝 Made his Racing Club debut as a substitute for boyhood idol and future mentor Diego Milito, who went on to advise him closely through his early career.
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