Inter Milan's Argentine striker Lautaro Martinez has confirmed that winning the Champions League is a realistic objective for his side, stressing that he and his team-mates must produce their very best to overcome the obstacle of Real Madrid.
Martinez and his Nerazzurri team-mates are preparing to face Real Madrid in their opening fixture of the new 2026-2027 Champions League season, which takes place at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday evening.
Fresh off the plane in the Spanish capital, the Inter captain fronted the pre-match press conference alongside head coach Cristian Chivu.
Real Madrid had, as usual, completed their media duties first. Kylian Mbappe, who has previously declared his support for Milan, called Inter a team deserving of respect and named Lautaro among the best strikers in the world.
"We have prepared well and recovered our energy," the Inter striker added. "We know who we are playing against, and Mbappe is certainly one of the best strikers in the world."
Inter regularly raise their game against Europe's biggest names. Their run in the 2024-2025 Champions League saw them see off a brilliant Barcelona and a Bayern Munich side rated among the leading favourites before a ball was kicked.
So what is the secret behind those results?
"It depends on the teams we are facing," Lautaro said. "We adapt ourselves according to the opponent, and it is natural that we commit to what the coach asks of us."
Set against those standards, last season's exit in the round of 16 stung.
"We were knocked out of the tournament early last year, but it is important to learn from mistakes," the Nerazzurri captain said. "I look forward to giving my best and leading Inter to go as far as possible this year."
For all Inter's strong collective record against Europe's elite, Martinez does not boast the most impressive scoring record in these encounters. He did find the net in Inter's most recent big Serie A fixture against Napoli over the weekend.
"The most important thing is for Inter to win," Lautaro said. "I have heard everything that is being said, but I scored a lot of important goals before Saturday. I focus on the collective work, and that is what I have always tried to do. The group is more important than the individual."
"It was an important victory against Napoli," the Argentine added, "but the road is still very long."
Was winning the Champions League a genuine target for Inter this season, or merely a dream? Lautaro left no room for doubt.
"It is an objective," he said. "We all have dreams, but this is more than just an obsession. We have to keep calm, and we know there are many strong teams. It is certainly a target for us. Since I first came here, I have repeated that we must work hard to deliver as many titles as possible for Inter."
Asked for his view on Real Madrid and Inter's former coach Jose Mourinho, Martinez said: "It is a difficult question because I was not at Inter at that time. He certainly deserves a lot of respect for what he achieved with Inter, but we are focused on the present and we want to give our best against Madrid."
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