Inter captain Lautaro Martinez admits he was tempted to leave the Nerazzurri after the 2025 Club World Cup and reveals he will ‘disappear’ after retirement: ‘Football is an environment I don’t like. You won’t hear about me anymore.’
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Inter captain Lautaro Martinez released a long interview with Gazzetta dello Sport after celebrating the domestic double with the Nerazzurri.
Inter won the Scudetto and Coppa Italia this season and celebrated their trophies with a parade in the streets of Milan on Sunday.
The Nerazzurri have taken revenge after a disappointing 2024-25 season, in which they finished as Serie A runners-up and lost the Champions League Final 5-0 against PSG.
After their elimination from the Club World Cup in the summer, Lautaro hit out at teammates who wanted to leave, urging them to find a new club if they no longer had the motivation to stay.
“I wanted to share what I saw in the locker room. I had to do it as a captain,” he said.
“Then I went on vacation, and for three weeks, I didn’t train; I just ate. In fact, when I came back, I weighed a little more…
“Speaking in public made noise. But I also had it in for myself, because I was not blameless. Then [Cristian] Chivu gave us a hand, bringing fresh air without taking anything away from Simone [Inzaghi], who made us live four wonderful years.”
Lautaro has been seeing a psychologist for a few years now, and his development on the pitch is also due to the mental work he does behind the scenes.
“I had so many personal problems, especially off the field, before my daughter was born,” he admitted.
“And therapy helped me, for example, in managing moments when I didn’t score goals. Sometimes I doubted myself, whether I was still capable of playing football, whether I deserved to be Inter’s No.10.
“Think about where the human mind can go. There, I realised that I needed support, because I was crawling into a tunnel. Even today, I continue to be followed by the society psychologist. He supported me during the 46 days of injury, which were not easy.”
Did he fear facing the same problems after last season?
“After the [Champions League] Final no, after the Club World Cup, yes. I thought about many things, and I suffered a lot. I’m not saying I asked to leave, but inside I felt that if an important offer had come in, then maybe… I was devastated.
epa12148206 Lautaro Martinez of Inter looks disappointed after losing the UEFA Champions League final between Paris Saint-Germain and Internazionale Milano in Munich, Germany 31 May 2025. EPA-EFE/FILIP SINGER
“From that state of mind was born the interview that followed the elimination against Fluminense. I went out, put on my shirt and said what I thought.”
Lautaro is under contract with Inter until 2029 and would love to end his career at the Stadio Meazza.
“Surely, I’d love to. I still don’t have the keys to Appiano Gentile, but I’m almost there,” he said.
“My family and I are happy. We own a restaurant, and the kids go to school and have their friends. It’s hard for me to see myself elsewhere. In football, you never know, but if they don’t send me away, I’ll stay here.”
Lautaro immediately established contact with Chivu when the ex-defender was appointed as the new coach before the Club World Cup.
“I called him right away. I had no doubt he would do very well,” the striker said.
“I knew him from the matches we played in Appiano against his Primavera: he seemed predestined.”
Inter were eliminated from the Champions League knockout play-off by Bodo/Glimt this season. Somehow, has the elimination helped them to secure the domestic double?
“No, because I wanted to move forward in Europe. It wasn’t an advantage,” Lautaro said.
MILAN, ITALY – MAY 03: Marcus Thuram and Lautaro Martinez of FC Internazionale Milano celebrate after being confirmed as Serie A champions following victory in the Serie A match between FC Internazionale and Parma Calcio 1913 at Giuseppe Meazza Stadium on May 03, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)
“Maybe by playing less you have more energy, but if you fight on every front, you always have the right mentality for the matches.”
Lautaro is the Serie A leading scorer, and the strike partnership with Lautaro is probably the best in Serie A.
“Marcus and I understood each other little by little. He’s a cheerful, special boy,” Lautaro said.
“I’m the serious one. We complete ourselves, even in the characters.”
Lautaro went on to talk about the upcoming World Cup and how he grew up in Argentina.
“I’ve prepared to get there [the World Cup] in the best shape possible,” he said.
“My father and my mother have arrived in time for Inter’s celebrations. They won’t come to the World Cup because they have to work, but they were happy to participate in Inter’s successes.
“My father was a footballer, and when he became a pro and reached the second division, he left his job as an aircraft mechanic at the naval base in Bahia Blanca. But the team got relegated, and there wasn’t much money to support a family. He reinvented himself as a nurse for older people, while my mother began earning a few pennies as a housekeeper. But we were three brothers, and money at home was never enough.
“Certain feelings made me improve as a man. I’ve learned humility from my parents, and I’m passing that respect on to my sons,” continued Lautaro.
“I used to go to my father’s team’s training sessions, and on matchdays I would hide in the dressing room to hear his speeches, as he was the captain.”
Perhaps those leadership skills helped him become the Inter captain as well.
“It’s something you have inside; you don’t train it. You must have leadership and personality,” said the 28-year-old.
“And set the example. But a captain is nothing without a group. I can only say Inter have a fantastic one, because everyone has a winning mentality.
“At 13, I also played basketball, because it’s a popular sport in Bahia Blanca: my brother Jano is a point guard in Serie A for Ferro Carril. At 15, however, I went to Racing, and my father asked me to choose. But there wasn’t much to decide; I was more suited to football.”
Who has sent him the most beautiful message these days?
“My grandma, who doesn’t feel well, made me emotional,” Lautaro replied.
“When I was a kid, she worked as a cleaner in the school where I studied, and I used to help her so she could finish earlier. Her name is Olga, and I have her name tattooed on my arm. I’m sorry we are far away now. The double is dedicated to her.”
Lautaro has netted 175 goals in competitive matches with the Nerazzurri.
“Honestly, I don’t even know how many goals I’ve scored,” he admitted.
“I know I’m third in the all-time Inter ranking, but that’s all. It’s not something I look at.”
The Nerazzurri’s all-time top goalscorer is Giuseppe Meazza, who netted 284 goals for the club. Does Lautaro hope to overtake him one day?
“It would be great, because Meazza is the history of Inter and Milano. I could make it, but I’d need to take penalty kicks again,” he replied, smiling.
How does he hope to be remembered in 10 or 20 years?
“Like a person who has always given everything,” he said.
Lastly, Lautaro revealed that he’d change his life after retirement.
“I won’t remain in football; it’s an environment I don’t like. You won’t hear about me anymore. I’ll disappear,” he concluded.