Back at El Cilindro
Lautaro Martinez did not need directions to find his way around Racing Club’s training ground on Thursday. Argentina’s September window gave the Inter Milan captain a rare few days at home, and he used part of it to watch a reserve derby at El Cilindro, the stadium where his own career began.
Diego Milito, now Racing’s president, greeted him personally. The connection runs deep. Martinez made his professional debut for the club in November 2015 in the exact match where Milito, a club idol and former World Cup winner with Argentina, stepped aside from the first team. Three years later, Martinez left for Italy and eventually succeeded Milito again, this time as Inter’s own record-chasing No. 9.
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A changing of the guard for Argentina too
The visit came with the national team squad gathered for two friendlies before the biggest date on Argentina’s calendar: Lionel Messi’s farewell. Argentina face Bolivia on September 30 and Burkina Faso on October 3, both stops before Messi plays his final international match against Benin at the Estadio Monumental on October 6.
Martinez was careful with his words on the subject. “He hasn’t left yet, we still have one game left, and after that we’ll see,” he said, when asked to reflect on the Messi era. Asked what comes next, he pointed to continuity rather than nostalgia: “What remains is the legacy he left behind. We have to start from scratch, as with every new cycle.”
Inter’s talisman, under pressure to lead again
None of this changes what is expected of Martinez once he is back in Milan. He arrives at the international break in the form of his career, having scored twice to rescue a point away at Roma earlier this month, and Cristian Chivu has resisted Barcelona’s interest all summer to keep him as Inter’s captain and focal point. Martinez himself framed the coming Argentina cycle in similar terms of responsibility. “It will certainly be an important process for us as well. We’ll give our very best for the national team, as always,” he said.
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