The Argentine moves into third place in the Nerazzurri’s all-time scoring charts and now sets his sights on Altobelli and Meazza

The way Sofia Goggia caressed her medal yesterday was enough to understand that sometimes even third place is a blessing. So, enveloped in this contagious Olympic atmosphere, Lautaro Martinez also returned to Milan with his bronze medal around his neck: now only the patriarch Pepìn Meazza and Spillo Altobelli are ahead of him among the Nerazzurri’s all-time top scorers. His 171st goal, scored with a clever left-footed turn during poor Sassuolo’s ordeal, puts him alongside another Inter legend: Roberto Boninsegna has been stuck on the same number since 1976, partly because two goals in the defunct Picchi trophy are not officially counted. To celebrate yet another milestone, the tender-hearted Lautaro called on his best friend of recent years: on this trip to Emilia, he returned to play alongside Marcus Thuram, long the Argentine’s twin and now replaced by the young Pio in the role of the king’s first knight. For once, the rampant Esposito remained one step behind, limiting himself to replacing the captain for the last quarter of an hour. And, in the end, he listened to a captain who was more emotional than ever: “I get goosebumps when I think back to my childhood, to my father taking me to the field…,” said the Argentine. “Achieving this goal is very important for me and for Inter, but now I have to keep going: personal goals only make sense if they serve the team’s goals.”

Just as Goggia has an Olympic gold and silver medal in her trophy cabinet, Martinez immediately set out to win the two missing medals: overtaking Bonimba in third place is not enough, the long march towards Altobelli, who is second with 208 goals, begins. At this rate, he could catch up to second place as early as next season, while Meazza floats up there in the empyrean, seemingly unreachable with 284 goals. The 28-year-old Lautaro is covered by a lucrative contract for another three and a half seasons, but he loves these colors so much that it is not unreasonable to imagine him in Nerazzurri colors even beyond 2029: at this rate, another six years would be enough to climb the mountain to the top. Difficult but not impossible, and then the Olympic flame burning at the Arco della Pace, a few hundred meters from Martinez’s home, inspires noble deeds. After all, the Argentine is building his career as an act of love for the Nerazzurri, following in the footsteps of other greats who have pledged their loyalty to a single shirt: among players who have scored exclusively for one team, only five have scored more goals in the league than the Argentine: he is on 129, like Bettega, behind Pascutti with Bologna (130), Riva with Cagliari (156), Boniperti and Del Piero with Juve (178 and 188), and Totti with Roma (250).

cielo di olimpia—  Yesterday, as captain, Lautaro wanted to add a few words about that infernal assist machine that is Dimarco, alongside him during the post-match interview: “Where else can you find a crosser like him? We always joke with Kolarov, who is another great left-footed player, because having a striker like Federico is always an advantage. He always looks for me and we train these plays, but all that matters is that Inter stays at the top, not who scores or makes assists.” This spirit is not surprising because the top scorer (14 goals) fills the entire field with his leadership and invests in his opponents: yesterday, for example, he consoled his colleague Berardi at a moment of maximum frustration for Sassuolo. When the controversial Luis Henrique made it 5-0, the Argentine even risked breaking his neck on the bench. Celebrating with Thuram, he came close to a dangerous fall, but remained on his feet thanks to the balancing skills he often uses in the box. He will also need them in his reckless pursuit of history, all the way to the gold of Olympia.