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A story of struggle
Lautaro Martinez took the lead Argentina team to the finals of the 2026 World Cup After he scored the decisive winner against England in the semi-final, cementing his position as one of the most popular strikers of the last decade, following a long journey of doubt and hardship with his country’s national team.
The Spanish “AS” newspaper reports.Inter Milan captain Lautaro Martinez managed to write a new chapter in his international career after sending Argentina to the World Cup finals with a last-minute goal against England.
Despite his great achievements at club level, the tango striker has yet to prove himself in the national team, with the spotlight always on Lionel Messi.
However, his real struggle was never with the Argentina captain, but with the circumstances that plagued him after the World Cup in Qatar before he found the chance to change history in New Jersey.
Lautaro Martinez is one of the legends of European football as he captained Inter Milan to two Champions League finals, returning the Nerazzurri to the top of Italian football.
But when he was wearing an Argentina shirt, the striker had to redouble his efforts to attract attention, given Lionel Messi’s natural dominance of the scene.
However, the real competition that Lautaro faced was quite different and can only be understood by going back in time, as the 2022 World Cup in Qatar saw Lionel Scaloni’s Argentina team enter the tournament as the most prominent contenders for the crown after winning the 2021 Copa America. Lautaro Martinez was an essential element of the tactical system, establishing himself as Messi’s ideal frontline partner for months.
But it got off to a shaky start with a historic defeat to Saudi Arabia in the first round of the group stage, sending Argentina into a crisis that forced Scaloni to make changes to the starting line-up.
Enzo Fernandez emerged as one of the most famous discoveries of that version, but despite the adjustments, Lautaro Martinez continued to retain the manager’s trust, but in the crucial Mexico game, Julián Alvarez came on as a second-half substitute, replacing the Inter Milan striker, who was transferred to the bench and remained there until the end of the tournament.
The Spider took over the starting position before lifting the World Cup alongside Lionel Messi, and while Argentina enjoyed historic joy, Lautaro was left with the feeling that his name had not been written down in history in the way he had dreamed of months earlier.
Four years later, the Argentine forward faced a similar scenario to the previous edition, as Julián Alvarez did not arrive at the tournament at his best, so Lautaro had another chance.
Lionel Scalloni gave him the confidence to play alongside Messi in the tango captain’s last World Cup, and his level gradually rose over the days until he became one of the tournament’s most popular stars, until the semi-final match finally ended his woes as his goal against England followed months of doubt, controversy and attempts to defend the champion.
Lautaro Martinez showed a strong personality and he shone at a time when his country needed him more than ever as he scored the second and decisive goal for qualification with a deadly header despite being the shortest player in the box.
“The first time my father bought me football boots, I always dreamed of scoring this goal,” said Lautaro Martinez.
Individual awards or accolades do not seem important to Lautaro now, as long as the World Cup final is one step away, especially when dreams come true.
