The Argentine has climbed to third place on Inter’s all-time scoring list and now has his sights set on Altobelli and Meazza

Just seeing the way Sofia Goggia caressed her medal yesterday was enough to understand that, sometimes, even third place is a blessing. So, enveloped in this infectious Olympic atmosphere, Lautaro Martinez, too, returned to Milan—the city of the five rings—with his bronze medal of the day around his neck: among Inter’s all-time top scorers, only the patriarch Pepìn Meazza and Spillo Altobelli now stand ahead of him. His 171st goal—scored with a clever left-footed turn during poor Sassuolo’s ordeal—has placed him alongside another Inter legend: Roberto Boninsegna has been stuck at the same tally since way back in 1976, partly because two goals he scored in the now-defunct Picchi Trophy aren’t officially counted. To celebrate yet another milestone, the soft-hearted Lautaro called upon his best friend of recent years: on this away trip to Emilia, he once again lined up alongside Marcus Thuram, long the Argentine’s partner in crime and now supplanted by the youngster Pio in the role of the king’s right-hand man. For once, the up-and-coming Esposito took a back seat, limiting himself to replacing the captain for the final quarter-hour. And, in the end, he listened to a captain who was more emotional than ever: “I get chills because I think back to my childhood, to my father taking me to the field…,” said the Argentine. “Reaching this goal is incredibly important for me and for Inter, but now I have to keep going: personal achievements only make sense if they serve the team’s goals.”

Just as Goggia also holds an Olympic gold and silver in her trophy case, Martinez immediately set his sights on the two missing medals: overtaking Bonimba for third place isn’t enough; the long march to catch up to Altobelli—who is second with 208 goals—begins. At this rate, he could tie for second place as early as next season, while Meazza floats up there in the empyrean, seemingly out of reach with 284 goals. The 28-year-old Lautaro is under a lucrative contract for another three and a half seasons, but he loves these colors so much that it’s not far-fetched to imagine him in Nerazzurri colors even beyond 2029: at this rate, another six years would be enough to climb the mountain to the summit. Difficult but not impossible—and besides, the Olympic flame burning at the Arco della Pace, just a few hundred meters from the Martinez home, inspires noble feats. After all, the Argentine is building his career as an act of love for the Nerazzurri, thus following in the footsteps of other greats who have pledged their loyalty to a single jersey: among players who have scored exclusively for one team, only five have scored more league goals than the Argentine—he stands at 129, tied with Bettega, ahead of Pascutti with Bologna (130), Riva with Cagliari (156), Boniperti and Del Piero with Juventus (178 and 188), and Totti with Roma (250).

Olympia Sky—  Yesterday, as captain, Lautaro wanted to add a few words about that infernal assist machine, Dimarco, who stood beside him during the postgame interview: “Where else can you find a crosser like that? We always joke with Kolarov, who’s another great left-footer, because having a crosser like Federico is always an advantage. He always looks for me, and we practice these plays, but the only thing that matters is that Inter stays at the top—not who scores or provides the assists.” This attitude comes as no surprise, as the leading scorer (14 goals) fills the entire field with his leadership and overwhelms opponents: yesterday, for example, he consoled his teammate Berardi during Sassuolo’s moment of greatest frustration. When the controversial Luis Henrique scored the 5-0 goal, the Argentine even risked breaking his neck on the bench. While celebrating with Thuram, he nearly took a dangerous fall but managed to stay on his feet thanks to the balancing skills he often uses in the box. He’ll need them too in his daring pursuit of history, all the way to the gold at Olympia.