After losing to the Brazilian club Fluminense, Inter Milan were eliminated from the Club World Cup — and captain Lautaro Martínez didn’t hold back. The Argentine forward lashed out at his teammates following the defeat.
In a disappointing season, Inter’s last chance at winning silverware slipped away. Naturally, Lautaro was frustrated — but his reaction went beyond disappointment. It was filled with anger. He openly criticized his teammates and sent a clear message: if they don’t have the mentality to fight, they should leave the club.
On Monday, Inter — last season’s UEFA Champions League runners-up — suffered a shocking 2-0 loss in the Club World Cup round of 16 against Fluminense.
At one point in the season, Inter had been chasing multiple trophies. But they lost the Coppa Italia final to their bitter rivals AC Milan. In the league, they stayed in the title race but ultimately finished as runners-up. Then they were crushed by PSG in the Champions League final.
Now, their Club World Cup journey ended even before the quarter-finals.
After the match, Martínez voiced his frustration with the team’s overall performance:
“I want to fight for major trophies. Anyone who wants to stay at Inter must be ready to fight. If someone doesn’t want to fight or be here, they can leave.”
“We want players who truly want to be here. We wear a valuable jersey. Our mentality must match that standard. Fight or please leave the club.”
Following a trophyless campaign, the captain now wants to see genuine hunger from within the squad heading into the next season.
“It was a long and exhausting season. We ended it empty-handed. This is the message to everyone — we won nothing.”
“To maintain our level and compete for titles, we need that hunger… I apologize to the fans who came here and supported us from up close. As the captain of this team, I want everything to be at its very best.”
With these powerful words, Lautaro Martínez has drawn a line — only those ready to give their all will be part of Inter Milan’s future.
