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“I’m very proud to be Argentinian”
Lautaro Martinez has expressed his disappointment over Argentina’s defeat to Spain in the 2026 World Cup final, sending a message to his country’s coach Lionel Scaloni.
The captain of “Inter Milan” was recognized as the best scorer of the Italian championship, which the “Neradzuri” won in the Italian Cup.
He then went on to score three goals in seven World Cup appearances for his country, including crucial last-minute winners against Switzerland in the quarter-finals and England in the semi-finals.
However, Lautaro was forced to watch the entire final from the bench as he did not feature in the 1-0 defeat to Spain, in which his side failed to get a shot on target until late in extra time.
Lautaro Martinez broke his silence with a post on Instagram this evening, writing: “We did everything we could to win the World Cup for the second time in a row, but this time it wasn’t meant to be for us. I am very proud to be Argentine.”
Also read: ‘Dirty Tricks’… global outrage at Argentina’s failure
He made what appeared to be an allusion to coach Lionel Scaloni’s decision to ignore him in the final, saying: “I would like to help the team on the pitch, but that’s normal.”
He added: “Thank you to all those who supported us during this tournament and traveled kilometer after kilometer to be there for us, and to all those who encouraged us from all corners of our country.”
Lautaro Martinez started in the first four matches of the World Cup, but then gave way to Julian Alvarez.
The decision to use the final substitution in extra time to bring on defender Marco Senezi, leaving the Inter striker on the bench for the entire match, was one of coach Scaloni’s most criticized choices in the Argentine media.
The “Inter” captain scored 40 goals and 13 assists in 84 international matches played by the Argentine national team, and won the 2022 World Cup and the 2021 and 2024 Copa America.
