Lautaro Martínez facts for kids
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Martínez in 2023
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Lautaro Javier Martínez | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 22 August 1997 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Bahía Blanca, Argentina | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Striker | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Current team
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Inter Milan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 10 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006–2014 | Liniers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | Racing Club | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2018 | Racing Club | 48 | (22) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018– | Inter Milan | 237 | (115) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2017 | Argentina U20 | 11 | (7) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018– | Argentina | 70 | (32) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17:31, 27 April 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 19 November 2024 |
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Lautaro Javier Martínez (born August 22, 1997) is a famous Argentine professional footballer. People often call him Lautaro. He plays as a striker for the Italian club Inter Milan, where he is the captain. He also plays for the Argentina national team. Many consider him one of the best strikers in the world. He is known for scoring goals, being in the right place on the field, and working well with his teammates.
Martínez started his career with Racing Club in Argentina. In 2018, he joined Inter Milan for about €22.7 million. With Inter, he has won two Serie A titles and two Coppa Italia cups. He also reached the finals of the UEFA Europa League in 2020 and the UEFA Champions League in 2023 and 2025. In the 2023–24 season, he was named the Serie A Most Valuable Player and was the top scorer in the league. He is currently Inter Milan's sixth-highest goalscorer of all time.
Martínez first played for Argentina's youth teams. He played in the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup and the 2017 South American U-20 Championship. He joined the senior national team in 2018. With Argentina, he has won the 2021 Copa América, the 2022 FIFA World Cup, and the 2024 Copa América. He was the top scorer in the 2024 Copa América, winning the Golden Boot. He also scored the winning goal in the final of that tournament.
Contents
Club Career
Starting Out in Football
Lautaro Martínez was born in Bahía Blanca, Argentina. He followed his father's path to become a professional footballer. He joined a local team called Liniers. He was very good at the Under-17 level. In 2013, he scored 13 goals in the U-17 league. He also scored in the final of the National Cup.
Playing for Racing Club
Martínez's great performance caught the eye of Fabio Radaelli, a coach for Racing Club. Martínez joined Racing Club in January 2014. At first, he missed his hometown and wanted to leave. But his teammate Braian Mansilla convinced him to stay. He then scored 53 goals in 64 games for the club's reserve team.
In 2015, Real Madrid wanted to sign him. But Martínez chose to stay in Argentina. His father said he wasn't ready to leave Racing yet. Martínez made his league debut on November 1, 2015. He came on as a substitute in a 3–0 win. He scored his first goal in November of that year.
In the 2016–17 season, Martínez became a key player. He scored 9 goals in 23 league games. In December 2017, he had a medical check with Atlético Madrid. But Racing Club announced he had signed a new contract with them. They were upset that Atlético Madrid had given him a medical without their permission. He ended that year with a great game, scoring and helping another goal. On February 27, he scored three goals in his first Copa Libertadores game. Racing won that match 4–2.
In May 2018, Racing Club's president confirmed Martínez was moving to Inter Milan. He was set to join Inter for the 2018–19 season.
Joining Inter Milan
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Martínez officially joined Inter Milan on July 4, 2018. The transfer fee was about €22.7 million. He signed a five-year contract. He played his first unofficial game ten days later. He scored in a friendly match against Lugano. His first official game was on August 19 in a Serie A loss to Sassuolo. He scored his first league goal against Cagliari on September 29.
On February 14, 2019, Martínez scored his first goal in a European competition. It was a penalty kick in a win against Rapid Wien. After this, he started playing in almost every game. This happened because Mauro Icardi was absent. In his first game against city rivals Milan, Martínez helped Inter win 3–2. He assisted one goal and scored a penalty.
On October 2, 2019, Lautaro Martínez scored his first UEFA Champions League goal. It was in a 2–1 loss to Barcelona. He became the first Inter player since 1970 to score at Camp Nou. Later, he scored two goals in a 3–1 win against Slavia Prague. This made him one of only a few Inter players to score in four Champions League games in a row. On August 17, 2020, Martínez scored two goals in a 5–0 win against Shakhtar Donetsk. This helped Inter reach the 2020 UEFA Europa League final. On March 8, 2022, Martínez scored against Liverpool in a 1–0 win. This was Inter's first Champions League knockout goal in a very long time.
On May 16, 2023, he scored the only goal in a 1–0 win over rivals Milan. This win helped his club reach the Champions League final for the first time since 2010. On May 24, he scored two goals in a 2–1 win against Fiorentina. This helped Inter win their second Coppa Italia in a row.
Martínez became the club's captain after Samir Handanović. He started the 2023–24 season as the main striker. He scored both goals in a 2–0 win against Monza. The next week, he scored Inter's second goal in another 2–0 win against Cagliari.
On September 30, 2023, Martínez made history. He scored 4 goals as a substitute in Inter's 4–0 win against Salernitana. He was the first player in Serie A to do this. On February 25, 2024, he scored twice in a 4–0 win against Lecce. His first goal was his 100th Serie A goal. His second goal was his 22nd league goal of the season, a new personal record. Martínez won the capocannoniere award for the 2023–24 season. He was the top scorer in Serie A with 24 goals. He also won the Serie A MVP award for the season.
On January 29, 2025, he scored his first Champions League hat-trick. It was in a 3–0 win over Monaco. On April 16, he scored his 150th goal for Inter. This was in a 2–2 draw against Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals. He also became the first Inter player to score in five Champions League matches in a row. In the semi-finals against Barcelona, he scored a goal and made an assist. This helped his team win 4–3 and reach their second Champions League final in two years.
International Career
Playing for Youth Teams
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In 2017, Martínez played for Argentina in the 2017 South American U-20 Championship. He was one of the top scorers with five goals. This helped Argentina qualify for the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup.
He was chosen for the World Cup team that year. Before the tournament, he hurt his nose in a warm-up game. Because of this injury, he started Argentina's first game against England from the bench. He was later sent off after a video review showed he had kicked another player. He was the first player ever to be sent off after a video review. Argentina lost that game 3–0. When he returned, he scored two goals in a 5–0 win over Guinea. However, Argentina was still eliminated from the group stage.
Playing for the Senior Team
On March 12, 2018, Martínez was called up to the senior team for the first time. He played in friendly matches against Italy and Spain. He made his debut against Spain on March 27. He came on as a substitute in a 6–1 loss. In May 2018, he was in Argentina's first squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. But he was not chosen for the final team. Later that year, he played his first full game in a 4–0 friendly win over Iraq. He also scored his first goal for the senior team in that game.
In May 2019, Martínez was part of Argentina's team for the 2019 Copa América. In Argentina's last group game against Qatar on June 23, he scored the first goal in a 2–0 win. This helped Argentina move to the next stage. On June 28, in the quarter-finals, Martínez scored the first goal in a 2–0 win over Venezuela. He was named Man of the match.
On September 10, 2019, Martínez scored his first hat-trick for Argentina. It was in a friendly game against Mexico. Argentina won that game 4–0.
On June 28, 2021, he scored Argentina's last goal in a 4–1 win over Bolivia in the 2021 Copa América. On July 3, he scored the second goal in a 3–0 win over Ecuador in the quarter-finals. On July 6, Martínez scored the first goal in a 1–1 draw against Colombia in the semi-finals. He then scored his penalty kick in Argentina's 3–2 penalty shootout win. This sent them to the final.
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On June 1, 2022, Martínez scored the first goal and assisted another in a 3–0 win over Italy. This was in the 2022 Finalissima at Wembley Stadium.
Martínez was part of the 26-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. He had an ankle injury but started the first two games. He had a goal disallowed for offside in Argentina's 2–1 loss to Saudi Arabia. After that, Julián Álvarez started instead of him. Martínez came off the bench for the rest of the tournament but did not score. On December 9, 2022, in the quarter-final, Martínez scored the winning penalty. This was in Argentina's 4–3 shootout win against the Netherlands. On December 18, in the final, he replaced Álvarez in extra time. Argentina beat France 4–2 in a penalty shootout after a 3–3 draw. This meant Argentina won the World Cup.
At the 2024 Copa América, Martínez scored Argentina's second goal in their 2–0 win over Canada. He then scored the only goal in a win against Chile. This helped Argentina move to the knockout stages. In Argentina's last group game against Peru, he scored both goals in a 2–0 win. In the final against Colombia, Martínez scored the only goal in the 112th minute during extra time. This put Argentina up 1–0 and helped them win the tournament. With his 5 goals in the tournament, he won the Golden Boot as the top scorer.
How He Plays
Martínez first played as a defender when he was young. He later became a forward. He has said that Radamel Falcao was one of his inspirations. He is a fast and agile player. He is known for his dribbling skills and scoring many goals. He is also good at finding the right spot in the penalty box. Even though he is not very tall, he is strong and good at heading the ball. He is also good at connecting with his teammates and helping to create goals. Because of this, he can also play as a second striker.
Because of his leadership and desire to win, people call him El Toro (which means "The Bull" in Spanish). In 2020, experts like Spencer Rance and manager Mauricio Pochettino called Martínez one of the best young strikers. Former Argentina and Inter player Hernán Crespo compared Martínez to his countryman Sergio Agüero.
Personal Life
Since 2016, Martínez has been in a relationship with Agustina Gandolfo. She is an Argentine businesswoman and fitness trainer. On May 27, 2023, they got married in Villa d'Este in Italy. Their first daughter was born on February 1, 2021. Their son was born on August 7, 2023.
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Racing | 2015 | Argentine Primera División | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |
| 2016 | Argentine Primera División | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 5 | 0 | ||
| 2016–17 | Argentine Primera División | 23 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 28 | 9 | ||
| 2017–18 | Argentine Primera División | 21 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 5 | — | 28 | 18 | ||
| Total | 48 | 22 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 5 | — | 62 | 27 | |||
| Inter Milan | 2018–19 | Serie A | 27 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 1 | — | 35 | 9 | |
| 2019–20 | Serie A | 35 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 7 | — | 49 | 21 | ||
| 2020–21 | Serie A | 38 | 17 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 1 | — | 48 | 19 | ||
| 2021–22 | Serie A | 35 | 21 | 5 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 49 | 25 | |
| 2022–23 | Serie A | 38 | 21 | 5 | 3 | 13 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 57 | 28 | |
| 2023–24 | Serie A | 33 | 24 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 44 | 27 | |
| 2024–25 | Serie A | 31 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 53 | 24 | |
| Total | 237 | 115 | 22 | 8 | 66 | 24 | 10 | 6 | 335 | 153 | ||
| Career total | 284 | 137 | 25 | 8 | 77 | 29 | 10 | 6 | 397 | 180 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | 2018 | 4 | 1 |
| 2019 | 13 | 8 | |
| 2020 | 4 | 2 | |
| 2021 | 14 | 6 | |
| 2022 | 11 | 4 | |
| 2023 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 16 | 11 | |
| Total | 70 | 32 | |
- Scores and results list Argentina's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Martínez goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 October 2018 | Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia |  Iraq |
1–0 | 4–0 | Friendly |
| 2 | 22 March 2019 | Wanda Metropolitano, Madrid, Spain |  Venezuela |
1–2 | 1–3 | Friendly |
| 3 | 7 June 2019 | Estadio San Juan del Bicentenario, San Juan, Argentina |  Nicaragua |
3–1 | 5–1 | Friendly |
| 4 | 4–1 | |||||
| 5 | 23 June 2019 | Arena do Grêmio, Porto Alegre, Brazil |  Qatar |
1–0 | 2–0 | 2019 Copa América |
| 6 | 28 June 2019 | Estádio do Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | Venezuela |
1–0 | 2–0 | 2019 Copa América |
| 7 | 10 September 2019 | Alamodome, San Antonio, United States |  Mexico |
1–0 | 4–0 | Friendly |
| 8 | 2–0 | |||||
| 9 | 4–0 | |||||
| 10 | 13 October 2020 | Hernando Siles, La Paz, Bolivia |  Bolivia |
1–1 | 2–1 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 11 | 17 November 2020 | Estadio Nacional del Perú, Lima, Peru |  Peru |
2–0 | 2–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 12 | 28 June 2021 | Arena Pantanal, Cuiabá, Brazil | Bolivia |
4–1 | 4–1 | 2021 Copa América |
| 13 | 3 July 2021 | Estádio Olímpico Pedro Ludovico, Goiânia, Brazil |  Ecuador |
2–0 | 3–0 | 2021 Copa América |
| 14 | 6 July 2021 | Estádio Nacional Mané Garrincha, Brasília, Brazil |  Colombia |
1–0 | 1–1 | 2021 Copa América |
| 15 | 2 September 2021 | Estadio Olímpico de la UCV, Caracas, Venezuela | Venezuela |
1–0 | 3–1 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 16 | 10 October 2021 | Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti, Buenos Aires, Argentina |  Uruguay |
3–0 | 3–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 17 | 14 October 2021 | Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti, Buenos Aires, Argentina | Peru |
1–0 | 1–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 18 | 27 January 2022 | Estadio Zorros del Desierto, Calama, Chile |  Chile |
2–1 | 2–1 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 19 | 1 February 2022 | Estadio Mario Alberto Kempes, Córdoba, Argentina | Colombia |
1–0 | 1–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 20 | 1 June 2022 | Wembley Stadium, London, England |  Italy |
1–0 | 3–0 | 2022 Finalissima |
| 21 | 23 September 2022 | Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, United States |  Honduras |
1–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
| 22 | 26 March 2024 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, United States |  Costa Rica |
3–1 | 3–1 | Friendly |
| 23 | 14 June 2024 | Commanders Field, Landover, United States |  Guatemala |
2–1 | 4–1 | Friendly |
| 24 | 3–1 | |||||
| 25 | 20 June 2024 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, United States |  Canada |
2–0 | 2–0 | 2024 Copa América |
| 26 | 25 June 2024 | MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, United States | Chile |
1–0 | 1–0 | 2024 Copa América |
| 27 | 29 June 2024 | Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, United States | Peru |
1–0 | 2–0 | 2024 Copa América |
| 28 | 2–0 | |||||
| 29 | 14 July 2024 | Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, United States | Colombia |
1–0 | 1–0 (aet) | 2024 Copa América final |
| 30 | 15 October 2024 | Estadio Monumental, Buenos Aires, Argentina | Bolivia |
2–0 | 6–0 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 31 | 14 November 2024 | Estadio Defensores del Chaco, Asunción, Paraguay |  Paraguay |
1–0 | 1–2 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 32 | 19 November 2024 | La Bombonera, Buenos Aires, Argentina | Peru |
1–0 | 1–0 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Honours
Inter Milan
- Serie A: 2020–21, 2023–24
- Coppa Italia: 2021–22, 2022–23
- Supercoppa Italiana: 2021, 2022, 2023
- UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2022–23, 2024–25
- UEFA Europa League runner-up: 2019–20
Argentina
- FIFA World Cup: 2022
- Copa América: 2021, 2024
- CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions: 2022
Individual
- Copa América Golden Boot: 2024
- Copa América Team of the Tournament: 2024
- Argentine Primera División Breakthrough Player: 2017–18
- Argentine Primera División Team of the Year: 2017–18
- UEFA Europa League Squad of the Season: 2019–20
- South American Youth Football Championship top scorer: 2017
- Gazzetta Sports Awards Performance of the Year: 2023
- Serie A Player of the Month: October 2023
- Serie A Most Valuable Player: 2023–24
- Capocannoniere: 2023–24
- Serie A Team of the Season: 2023–24
- ESM Team of the Year: 2023–24
- Golden Foot: 2024
- Serie A Team of the Year: 2023–24
- Serie A Footballer of the Year: 2024
See also
In Spanish: Lautaro Martínez para niños
