Lautaro Martínez (foto: Getty Images)
Lautaro Martínez has become Inter Milan’s all-time top scorer in the Champions League, surpassing Sandro Mazzola with 18 goals, marking another milestone in his remarkable career.
Lautaro Martínez continues to make history at Inter Milan. The Argentine international netted his 18th goal in the Champions League during Wednesday’s match against Feyenoord, surpassing Sandro Mazzola to become the club’s all-time top scorer in Europe's premier competition.
The Bahía Blanca-born striker now holds the record outright, having overtaken Adriano, who sits third with 14 goals, and Julio Cruz, who netted 13 during his time with the Nerazzurri.
Lautaro made his Champions League debut in the 2018-19 season at just 21 years old, coming on as a substitute in a 2-0 loss to Barcelona at Camp Nou. His first goal in the competition came against the same opponent the following season, as he opened the scoring in a 2-1 defeat to Barcelona in the group stage.
Since then, Martínez has scored in 15 different Champions League matches, more than any other player in Inter Milan’s history. Mazzola had previously scored in 13 games, while Julio Cruz found the net in 11.
At 27 years old, Lautaro also joined an exclusive group of Inter players to have scored a Champions League hat-trick, achieving the feat in January with a 3-0 win over Monaco in the final group-stage match. He joined Samuel Eto'o, who had one hat-trick, and Adriano, who achieved it twice.
Despite Lautaro’s scoring record, Adriano remains the most efficient Inter Milan striker in the Champions League, averaging 0.54 goals per game.
However, Lautaro holds another key record—he has scored the opening goal of a match more times than any other Inter player in the competition, with 9 of his 18 goals breaking the deadlock. Additionally, 5 of his goals directly secured victories for the club.
Lautaro’s hat-trick against Monaco means the French side is now his favorite opponent, having conceded three goals to him.
He has also scored twice against Slavia Prague, Barcelona, and Borussia Dortmund, with the rest of his goals coming against Sparta Prague, Red Star Belgrade, Liverpool, Salzburg, Real Sociedad, Real Madrid, Milan, Benfica, and Feyenoord.