Lautaro Martinez on Champions League Ambitions: Inter's Objective Against Real Madrid
Inter’s Lautaro Martinez refuses to treat Champions League glory as a fantasy. For him, walking into the Bernabeu on Tuesday night is not about surviving Real Madrid. It is about measuring a team that believes it belongs back on Europe’s throne.
Inter return to the big stage
Inter Milan open their 2026-27 Champions League campaign with one of the toughest assignments in the competition: Real Madrid, in Madrid. The Italians know this stage well. Three European Cups in their history, the last of them in 2010 under a certain Jose Mourinho, now sitting on the opposite bench.
Since that night in Madrid 16 years ago, Inter have twice reached the final and twice felt the sting of defeat, in 2023 and 2025. Those scars are fresh. They also fuel the obsession.
Lautaro Martinez refuses to call it that.
“It’s an objective,” he insisted in his pre-match press conference. Dreams, he said, are not enough at this level. “We all have dreams, but this is more than just an obsession. We have to stay calm, we know that there are a lot of strong teams out there. It’s definitely a goal for us. Ever since I first came here, I’ve repeated that we have to work hard to deliver as many trophies as possible for Inter.”
The message was clear: Inter are not tourists in this competition. They are coming to compete, not to admire the architecture.
Mbappé, Madrid and a duel at the Bernabeu
The opening fixture offers a marquee showdown. Lautaro Martinez against Kylian Mbappé, centre-forward against centre-forward, captain against superstar. Two leaders, two reference points, one stage.
Mbappé, a self-confessed Milan fan, has not hidden his admiration for the team he is about to face. He described Inter as a side that deserve “immense respect” and picked out Lautaro as one of the best centre-forwards on the planet.
The Inter captain heard every word.
“I’ve heard what he had to say,” Martinez replied. Respect accepted, but not overvalued. “We’ll be up against a team with lots of champions, but we have our own weapons and players who prove that they are at a top level year after year. We’ve prepared well, we’ve recovered our energy. We know who we’re playing against and Mbappe is definitely one of the best strikers in the world.”
Cristian Chivu’s Inter arrive in Spain convinced they can match Real Madrid not just in intensity, but in ideas. Martinez stressed the “tactical flexibility” and “weapons” at their disposal, a nod to a squad that has evolved from the one that fell just short in recent finals. This is not a team that wants to sit in and suffer for 90 minutes. It is a team that believes it can trade blows with the Spanish giants on their own turf.
Alvarez, Atletico and a friend in limbo
The conversation around Martinez did not stay on Madrid for long. International football, and a friend in difficulty, soon entered the room.
Julian Alvarez, his Argentina teammate, has endured a turbulent spell at Atletico Madrid. The forward made it clear in the summer that he wanted out, with a strong desire to join Barcelona. Atletico’s hierarchy slammed that door shut, refusing to strengthen a domestic rival and forcing Alvarez to remain under Diego Simeone.
Martinez did not dance around the subject.
“Alvarez is a friend of mine. It’s not an easy moment for him, but the decision was made by the President of his club. I hope he continues to show the level that he always has.”
It was a simple, loyal answer. Support for a friend, respect for another club’s internal decisions, and a reminder that, for all the noise around transfers, the player still has to perform. Even when the move he wanted never came.
Life after Messi
Then came the topic that hangs over every Argentina gathering now: Lionel Messi’s farewell to international football.
For Martinez, the end of that era had been mentally processed long before the official announcement. He had shared the 2022 World Cup triumph with Messi and then pushed all the way to the 2026 final alongside the No.10. Those memories are fixed. The void left behind is very real.
“We all knew the time would come,” Lautaro admitted. The dressing room understood that such a decision was inevitable. That did not make it any less seismic. “It was a major bit of news given what Leo means to the team and to all of us. I will take everything he taught us with me.”
In that line sits the new responsibility. Inter’s captain is no longer just a goalscorer. For club and country, he now carries part of the leadership that Messi once embodied almost alone.
On Tuesday night, under the Bernabeu lights, he steps into another of those roles: the man who has to turn an “objective” into something tangible, against the club that has made this competition its own.
