Departing Racing Club as one of the brightest prospects in world football comes with a weight of expectation but striker Lautaro Martínez shows no signs of the burden.
The 20-year-old was officially presented to the media at a press conference on Thursday and spoke confidently about the big money move and the famous shirt number he will be using this season.
“Wearing the number ten shirt doesn’t weigh on me because I already wore it at Racing,” Martínez explained,
“I asked the club to also have it here, it was free and I’m very happy to be able to wear it.”
After scoring 13 goals in 21 Superliga appearances, five in six Copa Libertadores games and making his Argentina debut in March, Martínez was not without options but was swayed by Inter’s project and the personal recommendation of Racing director of football Diego Milito.
“From the first moment that Inter came to Buenos Aires to speak with me, I was won over by the project. I loved the idea of playing here right from the start, having the trust of a coach like [Luciano] Spalletti was also influential.
“I hope to be able to make the most of my abilities to help the team.”
🎙| Lautaro: “I decided to put Lautaro on my shirt because it’s less common compared to my surname of Martinez. ‘El Toro’ is the nickname that I was given as soon as I arrived in Buenos Aires and it’s not changed.” #WelcomeLautaro #InterIsHere #FCIM pic.twitter.com/O36spgdHe2
— Inter (@Inter_en) July 12, 2018