The Cult of Calcio
·21 November 2024
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Yahoo sportsThe Cult of Calcio
·21 November 2024
Inter legend Marco Materazzi has waxed lyrical about club talisman Lautaro Martinez amid the latter’s stuttering start. After winning the Capocannoniere award last term, El Toro has failed to live up to expectations in the early stage of Inter’s Scudetto-defending campaign.
“Lautaro Martinez has won the World Cup, Copa America, Serie A and hasn’t stopped over the past three years,” the former Inter defender told LuckyBlock via FCInterNews. “He might not have as many goals as usual at the moment, but he always helps the team.
“Lautaro can play in every league, Premier League, Bundesliga. He’s a world-class player. He is Inter’s captain, and he’ll get back to being strong and fit and scoring goals. If I had a message for Premier League clubs, it would be don’t come near our captain.”
Martinez will return to Milan later today after helping Argentina beat Peru 1-0 in their last 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier. However, he will likely start on the bench when Inter and Hellas Verona lock horns at Stadio Marc’Antonio Bentegodi on Saturday.
After a 1-1 home draw against Napoli before the international break, Inter will be out to return to winning ways and extend their outstanding ten-game unbeaten run across all competitions. As for Martinez, he’ll likely surrender his place in the starting XI to Mehdi Taremi.
Martinez has not been at his best this season. Indeed, the Inter skipper has only netted five goals in Serie A. But after scoring in back-to-back games for Argentina, he’ll likely be confident about hitting the ground running at Giuseppe Meazza.