Leadership, records and heart: Lautaro's Champions League campaign

A leader, a driving force and a key figure in Inter’s incredible Champions League run. With dominant performances, records and MVP awards, Lautaro Martínez has been at the heart of the team's journey to the final in Munich. The story of the Inter captain in this Champions League campaign is best told from the end – the second leg of the semi-final against Barcelona. That’s when El Toro made the decision to take to the pitch in the Nerazzurri shirt after a race against time following the injury he suffered at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys. That performance at San Siro summed up everything Lautaro brings: grit, quality, technique, sacrifice and dedication. It was a match where he took centre stage, scoring the opening goal and winning the penalty that Çalhanoğlu converted to make it 2-0.

RECORDS AND VITAL GOALS

Lautaro Martínez has had an incredible impact throughout Inter’s European campaign. His nine goals in this edition have seen him equal the record for an Inter player in a single Champions League/European Cup season, tying Hernán Crespo’s nine goals from 2002/03. The Nerazzurri captain has also become Inter’s all-time top scorer in the Champions League with a total of 21 goals in the competition. This season, he's surpassed Sandro Mazzola's tally of 17.

LAUTARO'S 21 CHAMPIONS LEAGUE GOALS

2/10/19 | Barcelona 2-1 Inter 23/10/19 | Inter 2-0 Borussia Dortmund 5/11/19 | Borussia Dortmund 3-2 Inter 27/11/19 | Slavia Praha 1-3 Inter (brace) 25/11/20 | Real Madrid 3-2 Inter 8/3/22 | Liverpool 0-1 Inter 12/10/22 | Barcelona 3-3 Inter 19/4/23 | Inter 3-3 Benfica 16/5/23 | Inter 1-0 AC Milan 20/9/23 | Real Sociedad 1-1 Inter 8/11/23 | Salzburg 0-1 Inter 1/10/24 | Inter 4-0 Crvena zvezda 22/1/25 | Sparta Praha 0-1 Inter 29/1/25 | Inter 3-0 Monaco (hat-trick) 5/3/2025 | Feyenoord 0-2 Inter 8/4/25 | Bayern Munich 1-2 Inter 16/4/25 | Inter 2-2 Bayern Munich 6/5/25 | Inter 4-3 Barcelona

MVP FOUR TIMES

Lautaro has also been one of the most frequent recipients of the UEFA MVP award this season. His first award came on matchday 7 of the league phase, when he scored a stunning volley to seal a win that helped push the team towards the round of 16. On 29 January, El Toro took home the match ball after an incredible performance against Monaco, scoring a decisive hat-trick. His third MVP award came after Inter's win away to Feyenoord, a match that saw him surpass Mazzola to become the Club’s all-time top scorer in the Champions League. Finally, there was the second leg of the quarter-final against Bayern Munich – a 2–2 draw that secured Inter’s spot in the semi-finals. Lautaro was recognised for "his important goal, intelligent movement, understanding with Thuram and the midfielders, as well as his hard work for the team".

MVP AWARDS:

Sparta Praha 0-1 Inter Inter 3-0 Monaco Feyenoord 0-2 Inter Inter 2-2 Bayern Munich