Argentina’s 2022 World Cup victory yielded many stories, but perhaps the most bittersweet was that of Lautaro Martínez. The striker arrived in Qatar as head coach Lionel Scaloni’s top choice. Then, he had two goals disallowed against Saudi Arabia in the opener. Gradually, he lost his spot to an emerging Julián Álvarez.
Some vindication came after scoring the fifth penalty in Argentina’s high-tension clash against the Netherlands, but then he missed what could have been a last-minute winner against France in the final.
So, how is it that the 26-year-old has emerged as the leading man and feel-good story of the 2024 Copa América? The striker finds himself at the top of the tournament goal scoring ranking, with four, restoring his place alongside Lionel Messi.
His first coaches will tell you that El Toro (the bull), as he’s affectionately known, has always had it in him to come back stronger.
Living and breathing football
Martínez’s home town, the Buenos Aires Province port city of Bahía Blanca, is actually famous for basketball: three out of 12 Athens 2004 basketball gold medalists were born there, including Emanuel “Manu” Ginóbili. Nonetheless, Martínez hails from a footballing family. His father Mario was a professional, playing five seasons in the Primera B, the country’s second tier, with Villa Mitre.
That background helped him understand what it took to be a pro from a young age, according to Alberto Desideri, Martinez’s first coach in his hometown team, Club Atlético Liniers.
“He would focus on what he had to eat, getting the most out of each training session, doing the hard work at the gym,” Desideri told the Herald. “Most young players need to be nudged in that direction, but he had it in him already.”
Martinez never balked at early starts — whatever the weather. “If we scheduled training for 8 a.m., he was delighted, because that meant he could spend more time playing,” recalled Guillermo Puliafito, youth teams coordinator for Liniers when El Toro was coming through the ranks. Located some 600 kilometers south of Buenos Aires City, Bahía Blanca sits closer to many Patagonian tourist destinations than the capital, and temperatures can fall below zero in winter.
“He and his brother Alan would ride five or six kilometers on their bikes to get to training, and arrived with a smile on their faces,” Pulafito said. “That was always his mentality.”
Desideri’s son was Martínez’s age, and he used to pick them up from training. The young Martínez would sit in the back seat, discussing tactics on the way home.
“He talked about their next game, who was playing well in the rival team, who we’d have to be careful about,” said the coach. He would later manage Martinez in his only matches with Liniers’ first team in Bahía Blanca’s regional league before he moved to Racing Club.
“He was like another head coach with his focus on the game.”
Always giving his best
For all his hard work and focus, it was clear from a young age that Martínez had a gift. The Bahía Blanca regional league system is one of the strongest in the country, and several players from the city’s clubs became professionals. Still, according to Desideri, Martínez dominated the U-10 level — to their rivals’ despair.
“At that age, goalkeepers often can’t reach the crossbar,” he said, “so every time we had a free kick near the opposition box he could score, because he had an incredibly powerful shot.”
In a derby game against Olimpo, one of the biggest teams in the division, the rival coach even asked Desideri to take Martínez off. He had already scored two in the first half, and the coach feared he was giving them too much of an advantage. Desideri refused and Martínez went on to score two more. Liniers won 6-2.
According to Puliafito, Martinez even made his mark playing in unfamiliar positions, as he did when Liniers faced tough teams during tournaments.
“Sometimes we couldn’t get past the midfield line, meaning Lautaro couldn’t get any touches on the ball,” he recalls. “So we sent him to play as a defender, and he instantly became the best player on the pitch despite never training for that. He never complained about it, because his mindset was always giving his best.”
That mindset caught the eye of Racing Club youth team head coach Fabio Radaelli on a trip to Bahía Blanca, where Martínez took his first steps as a professional player.
Back where it all began
Martínez moved to Argentine football giants Racing Club, in the Buenos Aires suburb of Avellaneda, in January 2014. Living in a brand new city aged just 16, homesickness soon struck. With the support of his family and teammates, he decided to stay the course.
His first team debut would come almost two years later, on October 31, 2015, when he replaced club legend Diego Milito in the 78th minute of a game against Crucero del Norte. In November 2016, he scored his first goal with the Academia shirt, tapping in a cross from another Qatar 2022 winner, Marcos Acuña, against Huracán.
He went on to score 27 goals in 62 appearances with Racing, enticing the interest of Italian giants Inter Milan. In July 2018, he moved to the Milanese team, reportedly for around 20 million euros.
With Inter, Martínez has become one of the best strikers in the world. He won Serie A titles in 2020–21 and 2023–24, when he was also the league’s top scorer. In 2023, he led the historic team to its first UEFA Champions League final since 2010.
However, Martínez never forgot his roots. As a Racing Club player, he welcomed the Liniers team as they traveled to Buenos Aires to play against La Academia. After winning the 2021 Copa América, he spent 10 days in Bahía Blanca, training with the Liniers squad for nine of them. “He apologized for the day he missed,” said Puliafito. “He stayed signing autographs for a huge line of kids in his neighborhood.”
For his coaches, watching Martínez is a source of great pride, but also of admiration for his work. “Everyone does their bit,” said Desideri, who also coached Argentine top-tier players such as Agustín Bouzat and Francisco Pizzini. “The family gives what they can afford, the player gives it their all and the coaches and the club give what they can. Seeing him there is incredible.”
Martínez’ 2024 Copa América resurgence can be explained in a similar way. His family’s experience and support, his determination to succeed, and his coaches’ unflinching backing have shaped a player who didn’t give up. Argentina’s men’s national team is enjoying the result of that process that started a long time ago in Bahía Blanca.