Inter Milan Captain Admits: ‘Milan Is My Home, But At First I Thought About Leaving’

Lautaro Martinez admits that while Inter Milan is his “home” now, when he first arrived he thought about leaving.

Speaking to Dopcast, via FCInterNews, the 26-year-old looked back on his start to life at the Nerazzurri and in the city of Milan.

Martinez joined Inter from Racing Club in the summer of 2018.

The Argentine arrived as a young player, who had yet to play in Europe before his transfer to the Nerazzurri.

Martinez was always likely to need a year or two to adjust and settle in.

And so it proved, as the young striker was more of an understudy to Mauro Icardi in his first season after his move to the San Siro.

But ever since then Martinez has grown continuously.

The 26-year-old has been the captain at Inter since last summer, when he inherited the armband from Samir Handanovic.

And Martinez has marked that newfound responsibility by enjoying perhaps his best season at the club to date. In his very first season in the role, the Argentine captained Inter to an historic twentieth Serie A title.

Lautaro Martinez: “Inter Milan My Home, But At First I Thought About Leaving”

Martinez looked back that “During my first year in Italy and at Inter, Icardi was there.”

“I wasn’t playing all that much,” continued the Nerazzurri captain.

“And I even thought about leaving and returning to Argentina. I was used to always playing.”

Martinez admitted that “It was complicated. But Inter were always behind me with a lot of support. Always.”

The 26-year-old went on that “Milan is my home.”

“From the first moment I got here, that’s the way it felt.”

“I immediately felt the warmth from the fans,” Martinez said. “And the support from everyone who works as part of the world of Inter.”

“That was fundamentally important for me,” the Inter captain added. “I felt loved from day one.”

Of the 2022-23 season, Martinez admitted that “Last season was extremely difficult.”

The Argentine called last season “Exhausting.”

“I had an ankle problem,” Martinez noted.

“And I didn’t have the kind of World Cup I wanted to, and I had to decide whether to have surgery or not.

“I didn’t want to have to take painkillers and pills any longer,” the Inter captain continued.

“After the Champions League final, we went to Greece. I turned my phone off and rested.”

And Martinez also admitted that when he returned home following his penalty miss against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League he was “Absolutely pissed off.”