"Looking at the shirt and seeing the three stars there is a source of pride because since I was little I dreamed of this. I dreamed of wearing this shirt and that this country could lift the World Cup again.
"
Lautaro Martínez
speaks calmly, but lets his emotions out.
Since the birth of his daughter
From him Nina
, who he has with his wife
From him Agustina Gandolfo
(pregnant with the couple's second baby), he says that something has changed for him.
He takes everything differently, he sees everything with different eyes.
He is the goalscorer of Lionel Scaloni
's cycle
, after
Lionel Messi
, of course.
He has 21 goals in 46 official matches.
And, beyond the fact that at 25 he managed to lift the most important trophy of all,
he does not relax and seeks more with the flag of his country
.
"The message is clear: you have to go for more. In each training session the level is raised and that makes the Argentine National Team always strengthen itself
," says the Inter Italian attacker.
And he insists:
"I said it after the Copa América, the National Team and this shield always have to go for more. This generation came with a lot of hunger and a lot of desire, with a young coach who is clear about things and that is important to go for more".
Lautaro Martínez has 21 goals and after Messi he is the scorer of the Scaloni cycle in the National Team.
Photo: Fernando de la Orden
Martínez's speech goes hand in hand with that of Scaloni and that of all his colleagues.
They understand that this story is not over and that it is necessary to redouble efforts to continue winning things.
But for the moment they allow themselves to celebrate on these days of reunion, among themselves and with the people.
"It was a long-awaited reunion because in all this time we imagined what the country was going to be. People show it to you and let you know and for us that is happiness and pride and a lot of satisfaction for the work done," says Lautaro.
And he adds about the party at the Monumental: "Something beautiful, a dream day and very special due to the presence of my mother who could not go to the World Cup. We felt all the love in our house with our people."
However, the tone changes when he suddenly plunges into the memories of that month spent in Qatar and confesses: "I never saw any images of the World Cup again, I never saw anything again, I only saw videos of my daughter in the stands celebrating with my wife".
The goalscorer had his moment of prominence when he converted the decisive penalty of the series against the Netherlands and gave the team a ticket to the semifinal.
But he still cannot digest that he could not do the World Cup that he would have wanted to do due to an injury to his right ankle that forced him to inject painkillers, although that was not enough and he ended up losing the job to Julián Alvarez after starting against Saudi Arabia and Mexico .
Lautaro Martínez spoke without masks.
Photo: Fernando de la Orden
And in a dialogue with
Clarín
he reveals his mixed feelings with his throat tied.
Why didn't you see anything again?
-Because I suffered a lot... I suffered a lot.
Nothing.
I keep those memories in my head and that way they are enjoyed twice as much.
I am left with the enjoyment of having lifted the Cup and having the medal in my house.
-Did you suffer from the injury or how the World Cup came about for Argentina, especially in the final?
-A set of everything.
Every time I talk about it, it's pride for me and I get a little emotional.
I had to not have the World Cup that I wanted and expected due to the ankle problem and hopefully now I can demonstrate what I had been demonstrating in the Qualifiers and in friendlies so that what I wanted to be and was not turned around.
But I'm happy because the group did a great job and we brought the World Cup.
look too
The unusual story of the fan who mocked the security of the Ezeiza property and reached Lionel Messi
Argentina-Panama: the emotion of Dibu Martínez's mother before the game and a confession about the world final in Qatar
