Netherlands Star Hails “Extraordinary” Inter Milan Teammate: ‘He’s Grown As A Man & As A Leader’

Inter Milan defender Stefan de Vrij feels that Nerazzurri captain Lautaro Martinez has grown significantly in the last few years.

The Dutchman praised his teammate whilst speaking in a press conference after yesterday evening’s Supercoppa Italiana win over Napoli, as reported by FCInterNews.

Martinez is now in his sixth season as an Inter player.

And the Argentine is more important to the Nerazzurri than ever.

Martinez didn’t arrive as a well-established player. The former Racing Club striker had to work to find his feet.

But in each season, it has seemed like Martinez has taken one more step forward.

This campaign, the 26-year-old came into it as the new captain of Inter. He inherited the armband from Samir Handanovic last summer.

And that seems to have sparked something in Martinez.

The Argentine has already scored 21 goals for Inter this season.

And Martinez has proven how decisive he can be yet again, by finding the back of the net in the Supercoppa Italiana against Napoli yesterday evening in Saudi Arabia.

Stefan De Vrij Praises Leadership Of Lautaro Martinez

De Vrij noted of Martinez that “I arrived at Inter at the same time as him.”

“It’s been brilliant to see his growth, and how much he gives to Inter. Not just on the pitch, but also off of it.”

The Dutchman continued that “He’s grown as a leader, as a captain, and also as a man. He’s extraordinary.”

Of winning against Napoli, de Vrij said that “We said to ourselves that it was a final. The opportunity to lift a trophy.”

“We have experience,” the 31-year-old defender added.

“We’ve played in finals before, but there’s always a desire to win matches like this.”

And of why Inter were not as fluid-looking against Napoli as they had been against Lazio, de Vrij said that “There were a lot of reasons.”

“They had prepared well for the match,” he continued. “They watched our previous match. They didn’t leave a lot of spaces.”

“But we also had one less day of rest. We lacked a bit of freshness.”

“We were a bit imprecise, but we stayed united and deserved the win,” de Vrij added.