Inter Milan's marksman Lautaro Martinez recently opened up on his relationship with 'animal' Lionel Messi in an interview on the Italian TV program Che Tempo Che Fa. The Argentine #22 has been crucial for Inter Milan this season and will play a vital role in Argentina's hunt for their second consecutive Copa America title.
In the talk show, Martinez discussed Messi's prowess in the training sessions and called him a 'competition animal' for his unparalleled fighting spirit.
"I am Messi’s friend and teammate. We are talking about an important player who has made history in football. It feels like he’s playing a different sport in training sessions. He does things that I’ve never seen before. He is a competition animal, and he never wants to lose," said Lautaro Martinez.
Lionel Messi and Lautaro Martinez will join the Argentine national team when they play their first Copa America match against Canada on June 21.
Meanwhile, Lautaro has been firing on all cylinders for Inter Milan this season. The forward is the highest scorer for I Nerazzurri with 23 goals, and the club was crowned Serie A champions for the 20th time after the derby win against AC Milan two weeks back.
Lautaro Martinez will again be in action on Friday (May 10) as Inter Milan face Frosinone in a Serie A clash.
Lionel Messi breaks MLS record against NY Red Bulls
Lionel Messi is toppling records after every match with Inter Miami in the MLS. In the league match against NY Red Bulls on Saturday (May 4), La Pulga scored one goal and assisted five times to rack up a record six-goal contributions at Chase Stadium in his team's 6-2 victory. With that performance, Lionel Messi has now scored and assisted in six consecutive league matches for Inter Miami.
"All [goals] were fundamental to the game, but Leo did something historic tonight with five assists and one goal," said Inter Miami manager Gerardo 'Tata' Martino after the end of the match.
Lionel Messi has scored 12 goals and 11 assists in 11 matches for Inter Miami this season. From being at the bottom of the Eastern Conference table when Messi joined last season, Inter Miami now lead the pack with 24 points from 12 games in the MLS.