Italy are the current European champions and yet they won’t be taking part in this major tournament. To compound that, in the inaugural Finalissima, Argentina disposed of the Azzurri with ease. One of the players on target in that fixture was an Inter Milan star. The man in question, Argentina forward Lautaro Martinez, is set for a big winter.
Argentina Forward Lautaro Martinez to Lead the Line
Will Lionel Scaloni’s Men Go All the Way?
Lionel Messi is labelled by many as the greatest player to ever grace a football pitch. He has won near enough all there is to win in the game, with the World Cup being the only honour to evade him. He came close eight years ago but super-sub Mario Gotze sent Angela Merkel and the rest of the German population into raptures with an extra-time winner.
Fast forwarding back to present day and they are once again in the driving seat to succeed. Argentina, along with South American rivals Brazil, are being labelled as the two favourites for Qatar. Messi is of course the talisman for the former, but he has a number of talented teammates set to thrive.
I need Lautaro Martinez and Julian Álvarez on their best. God I’m getting anxious 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/pVGJ3B6mgV
— DesmundOris (@Desmund_Oris) November 16, 2022
Inter Milan and Argentina forward Lautaro Martinez is one of those who is sure to play a major role in front of goal. Lionel Scaloni has suffered a few injuries, with Martinez’s clubmate Joaquin Correa and Nicolas Gonzalez, of Fiorentina, having to drop out. In their places come Thiago Almada (Atlanta United) and Angel Correa (Atletico Madrid).
Martinez’s importance further grows as a result and he could well be the starting centre-forward. The recent friendly against the United Arab Emirates points elsewhere though. Alexis Mac Allister of Brighton and Juventus’ Angel di Maria were in support of Messi and Manchester City youngster Julian Alvarez. The Inter Milan man was an unused substitute and so his status remains to be seen.
Read More: Bribes and Broken Promises: The Issues Behind the Qatar World Cup 2022
All About Argentina Forward Lautaro Martinez
Martinez is a man who hasn’t been on the scene for all that long and was a relative unknown when he arrived in Europe. The 25-year-old spent a few seasons with Racing Club, in his home country, and is now an Inter Milan man.
He developed a strong partnership with Romelu Lukaku in the Nerazzurri’s title-winning season. The Belgian contributed to 35 goals whereas Argentina forward Lautaro Martinez chipped into 23. It went downhill for Lukaku, but the latter then scored 21 and assisted three the following year.
📲 Lautaro Martínez on Instagram 💙🇦🇷 pic.twitter.com/CjvIE73aso
— All About Argentina 🛎🇦🇷 (@AlbicelesteTalk) November 14, 2022
Turning attentions to his exploits with the national team and his debut came in 2018. In his full debut, a 4-0 win over Iran, Martinez opened his Argentina account. Since then he has amassed a very respectable tally of 21 in 40. He made a difference in the Copa America win too, finding the back of the net against Bolivia, Ecuador and then Colombia. Scaloni will be hoping that Martinez can pick up where he left off!
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