Lautaro Martinez: Inter's Captain and Third All-Time Top Scorer

Nine seasons after his move from Racing Club, Lautaro Martinez needs no introduction in Milan anymore. The player who arrived as a 20 year old prospect is now Inter's captain, and something even more important for any nerazzurri fan: he's the man who sets the standard for a team that has become, without question, the side to beat in Serie A.

It feels like a long time since 2018, when Alejandro Sampaoli left him off Argentina's World Cup roster while Inter was paying 23 million euros for his transfer. That investment was no accident. Javier Zanetti, the club's vice president and one of the most respected figures in its history, knew exactly what kind of player he was looking for.

When we signed Lautaro we weren't thinking about the short term, we were thinking four or five years down the road. And it all played out. When you're that young, enthusiasm carries you at first, but then everyone goes through ups and downs. At some point you find your balance and you hold onto it. That's how Lautaro's career went.Javier Zanetti

It's worth remembering the moment Lautaro landed in Italy. Inter had just finished fourth in Serie A and, worse still, hadn't reached the podium since 2012. Long gone was the memory of the 2010 treble under Jose Mourinho, when that squad with a strong South American core (Zanetti, Milito, Samuel, Cambiasso, plus Brazilians Julio Cesar, Maicon and Lucio) had thrashed Guardiola and Messi's Barcelona in the semifinals before being crowned champions against Bayern Munich. The club had spent years searching for a leader who never showed up.

The Captain Who Earned His Spot

Nobody handed him that leadership. He earned it through goals and a consistency that ultimately held the club together when Juventus, owner of nine straight Scudetti, finally stumbled in 2021. That year Lautaro scored 17 goals and formed a lethal partnership with Romelu Lukaku, who scored 24. Since then, over the last seven league seasons, Inter has won the title three times (including 2024 and 2026) and finished runner-up on three other occasions, with a third place finish in between. With each of those campaigns, Lautaro's standing kept growing until he became the club's third highest scorer in history, trailing only two giant names in Italian soccer: Giuseppe Meazza and Alessandro Altobelli.

The forward himself prefers to deflect attention when asked about his role.

A leader isn't just born, he's also made. The leader is the one who has to set the example and the one everyone looks to, but in the end the group comes before all of that.Lautaro Martinez

The locker room he shares today is no ordinary group: alongside Swiss defender Manuel Akanji, French duo Benjamin Pavard and Marcus Thuram, and Brazilian Luis Henrique, this season brought English additions John Stones and Djed Spence. Amid so many big names, it's Lautaro who calls the shots, something both Inter and coach Cristian Chivu openly acknowledge.

Inter backed that up with action: in 2024 the club extended his contract through 2029. And in case there were any doubts about whether he still had it, last season he finished as Serie A's top scorer with 17 goals, despite battling some physical issues along the way.

The Champions League title, though, remains missing. Inter reached the 2025 final and ran into a brutal setback: a 5-0 defeat to PSG that still stings in Milan. The dream was close, and yet so far away. With Lautaro leading the way, the club is setting out to chase it once more.