Lautaro, the heart of a captain: "We never give up"
Team
— May 6th 2025The thoughts of Lautaro Martinez, who bagged his ninth goal in the Champions League this season, following the Nerazzurri's victory over Barcelona
A moving, exemplary performance filled with love for Inter, its colours and its fans: Lautaro Martinez fought with all his strength to be present tonight after the injury he suffered last week. It was a match he was determined to play at any cost. And it turned out to be a legendary game, with Inter progressing to their second Champions League final in three years thanks in part to a goal from El Toro. It was perhaps one of the easiest goals of his career - an easy tap-in from a Dumfries assist. However, it was a goal that broke the deadlock and saw him match the record for the most goals scored by an individual Nerazzurri player in a single edition of the Champions League. Lautaro has bagged nine goals so far this European campaign, the same number as another great Argentine forward in Inter's history: Hernán Crespo, who achieved the same tally in 2002/03.
“We had to dig deep in the first leg, but it was an incredible team effort. Personally, at the end of the match, I felt pain in my leg, and I spent two days crying at home because I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to play the return leg. I did double training sessions this week, and, with a tight bandage, I took to the pitch tonight. You need to be involved in such games. Today, I promised my family I would play. Even my mom called me all morning because she worries so much. I’m not feeling great, but now we’ll do specific recovery work. For the past three or four years, Inter have been raising the bar, and we should be proud of that. This stadium is incredible, and this team never gives up. From the first day this competition started, we’ve wanted to win it. Now, we need to recover a lot of energy and enjoy this final because we have a great opportunity to make history for this Club.”
Lautaro Martinez