Strikers Lautaro Martinez and Romelu Lukaku had once been partners on the pitch and friends off it.
Today’s print edition of Milan-based newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, via FCInterNews, highlight how the duo’s relationship fractured, leading into tomorrow’s match between Inter and Roma.
Martinez joined Inter in the summer of 2018. Lukaku followed him one year later.
The pair almost instantly formed a strong connection on the pitch.
With Lukaku’s arrival coinciding with that of former Juventus and Chelsea coach Antonio Conte, it always looked likely that the Belgian would play as part of a real strike partnership.
And Martinez was the man who Conte most commonly utilized alongside Lukaku.
The Argentine had not been a regular starter in his first season at Inter, under Luciano Spalletti.
Martinez had joined Inter as a 20-year-old who still had to make the adjustment to European football.
But Conte and Lukaku both proved to be perfect for Martinez to make the leap in quality.
The two strikers enjoyed two very successful seasons together between 2019 and 2021. This culminated in victory in the Serie A title race in the 2020-21 campaign.
Lautaro Martinez & Romelu Lukaku – From Friends To Rivals
Lukaku left Inter not long after that Serie A title triumph, however.
The Belgian was sold to Chelsea in a massive money move.
That transfer came as a surprise at the time. But even more surprising was Lukaku’s return to Inter just twelve months later.
The striker virtually forced through a move, on loan from Stamford Bridge.
The expectation then was that Martinez and Lukaku would be able to pick up where they left off in terms of their strike partnership.
That’s not quite how it went.
The presence of Edin Dzeko meant that there was a real competitor for Lukaku’s spot.
And, just as importantly, the Belgian missed a big chunk of last season through injury.
And then in the summer, for the third year in a row, Lukaku was at the centre of a shock transfer saga.
This time, it was a fallout with Inter – and with Martinez.
The two strikers had seemingly enjoyed a strong relationship both on and off the pitch.
But evidently Lukaku was not content with the situation at Inter. So the 30-year-old negotiated with the likes of Juventus and AC Milan behind the Nerazzurri’s back.
Moves to the Bianconeri or the Rossoneri never materialized for Lukaku.
But the Belgian did end up making a surprise switch to a different team in Serie A.
Lukaku joined Roma.
And tomorrow, the Giallorossi travel to the San Siro to face Inter.
Barring major surprises with the starting lineups, both Martinez and Lukaku will start tomorrow evening.
But they will do so as rivals – not just players on opposite sides of the pitch, but two men who seem to have had a real rift between them.
It’s a situation that few would have predicted just a couple years ago.
