The Nerazzurri need their skipper to step up more than ever after a devasting run of three consecutive defeats in all competitions
On the eve of Wednesday's Champions League semi-final showdown with Inter, Barcelona boss Hansi Flick was asked about the strengths of Simone Inzaghi's side. "They have one of the best defences in Europe," the German told reporters, "a great midfield, and the two strikers are very good. It's a team that both defends and attacks well." And normally Flick would be right. But Inter aren't doing anything particularly well at the moment.
Indeed, going into their biggest game of the season so far, the Nerazzurri have suddenly descended into disarray, having lost their last three games in all competitions, which has resulted in them falling three points behind Napoli in the Serie A title race with just four rounds remaining, and suffering a humiliating Coppa Italia semi-final loss to city rivals AC Milan. As a result of their hellish week, considerable doubt has been cast over whether Inter can even compete with Barca – let alone beat them.
Still, not all hope is lost. For starters, Inter have defended much better in Europe this season than they have domestically. And, secondly, captain Lautaro Martinez is now delivering the kind of consistently decisive displays in the Champions League that Barca thought him capable of when they tried to sign him five years ago…
AFP'Complete player'
Lautaro's first Champions League goal came against Barca in October 2019 and, before the season was even out, he was being linked with a move to Camp Nou. The Blaugrana's interest certainly made sense. They needed a long-term successor to the great Luis Suarez and Lautaro looked like the ideal replacement – even in the eyes of Lionel Messi.
"He is spectacular, he has incredible talent," the Argentine legend said of his compatriot in an interview with in February 2020. "You could see he was going to be a great player from a young age and now he is showing it.
"He is very strong, he is brilliant in one-on-one situations, he scores goals, he takes on anyone in the area. He holds the ball up, he pivots, he goes looking for the ball. He has so much talent, he is a complete player."
Advertisement'Happy at Inter'
It was repeatedly reported during the summer of 2020 that Lautaro was open to joining Barca, but the transfer never really came close to materialising for financial reasons. Although the full extent of the Catalan club's money woes had yet to be revealed, it was clear even at the time that Barca simply didn't have the requisite funds to even get remotely close to meeting the colossal €111 million (£94m/$126m) buy-out clause in the striker's Inter contract.
As a result, Lautaro ended up penning an extension at San Siro in October 2021 that effectively ended any hope of him ever joining Barca.
"When we sat down to discuss the contract renewal, it was not thinking of a future sale, but of the next goal, the next game, Serie A and the Champions League," the Argentina international's agent, Alejandro Camano, told . "It is not a contract structured for an Inter sale, but to be happy at Inter. What matters for Lautaro is happiness with his family and his club. The transfer value is not as important to me as seeing his smile."
Getty Images Sport'Feels like I was born here'
The Barca link has been brought up a few times over the past few years, but Lautaro has always dismissed it as "water under the bridge" and insisted that he only ever really wanted to stay at Inter. Whether that was really the case back in 2020 we'll probably never know, but it's clear that he couldn't be happier with the way things have worked out for him in Milan. "It feels like I was born here," he told Inter's channel earlier this year.
His strong bond with the city certainly makes sense. He was still only 20 years of age when he first arrived in Milan, and he is now a proud family man whose primary objective is to emulate compatriot and current Inter vice-president Javier Zanetti by becoming a symbol of the club.
And Lautaro is certainly well-placed to achieve that ambitious aim.
'Proud'
Lautaro led Inter to the Scudetto in his first season as captain – and in some style too, with the Argentine finishing the 2023-24 campaign as Serie A's Capocannoniere with 24 goals, which played a big role in him also being crowned the league's MVP.
In total, he's netted 150 times for the Nerazzurri, which puts him sixth on the list of the club's all-time leading scorers. If he were to see out his current contract, which runs until 2029, Lautaro would actually have a shot at climbing as high as second place, which is currently occupied by Alessandro Altobelli, on 209 goals. There's little chance of him surpassing Giuseppe Meazza (287) in the overall standings, but he has already usurped Sando Mazzola as Inter's top scorer in the European Cup.
"Proud is the first word that comes to mind, because I never would’ve imagined achieving this feat," Lautaro Martinez told after netting his 18th Champions League goal in the 2-0 win over Feyenoord in Rotterdam on March 5. "I am grateful to Inter, the fans and my team-mates. I also thank my family, both in Italy and Argentina, as they stayed by my side through good times and bad."
Lautaro has since taken his tally to 20, which isn't particularly impressive by modern standards. Erling Haaland, for example, has more than twice that amount and he's three years younger than the Inter skipper.
However, what is noteworthy is that Lautaro only managed 13 goals in his first 50 Champions League appearances; he's now struck seven times in his last five outings. The question is, though, whether he can maintain his hot streak, because Inter really need him to, if they are to have any chance of getting the better of Barca over two legs.