Inter Milan Captain Lautaro Martinez Expects FIFA Club World Cup Clash Vs River Plate ‘Will Be Like A Final’ – Adds ‘We Must Be United Against Racism’ | OneFootball

Inter Milan captain Lautaro Martinez is expecting the FIFA Club World Cup clash with River Plate this summer to be “like a final.”

The Argentine spoke to Italian broadcaster DAZN, via FCInterNews. He also stressed the importance of remaining united against racism in football.

This summer, Inter Milan play in the Club World Cup in the United States.

This will be a new format for the competition. It has been expanded to include 32 teams from all six confederations in FIFA.

Inter Milan’s first group stage opponents in June will be Mexican club Monterrey.

Then the Nerazzurri take on Urawa Red Diamonds, representing Japan.

And finally, Inter will close out the group stage with a match against Argentine giants River Plate.

That match could be particularly significant for Inter captain Lautaro Martinez. The 27-year-old is Argentine himself, and still retains a strong connection to his home country’s football.

Inter Milan Captain Lautaro Martinez: “River Plate Like A Final” In FIFA Club World Cup

Inter Milan captain Lautaro Martinez noted that “I faced [River Plate] when I was in Argentina.”

“They’re a very big club, at the world level,” he went on.

MILAN, ITALY – JANUARY 29: Lautaro Martinez of FC Internazionale celebrates scoring his team’s second goal during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD8 match between FC Internazionale Milano and AS Monaco at Stadio San Siro on January 29, 2025 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

“We’ll have to prepare for it at our best. And they’ll also be taking it extremely seriously like us, like it’s a final.”

“And that goes for all the matches,” Martinez added. “But there we’ll have to give our best because we know the kind of team they are.”

The Inter captain noted that “I have national teammates who play for River Plate.”

Meanwhile, Martinez noted that Inter “have won a lot of trophies in recent years.”

“The last one we won was special for us. Because we earned the second star on our chests by beating Milan, our derby rivals.”

Lautaro Martinez said that the second star “will go down in history.”

“That’s the most important thing. And it makes Inter one of the best clubs in Italy, and in the world.”

“We’ll always aim to bring Inter to the top,” Martinez declared.

Meanwhile, the Inter captain gave his thoughts on football in the United States. “There are great footballers in the US now,” he said. “Before, not so much.”

“There are a lot of stars in the league, like my teammate Lionel Messi. Plus other great players who have helped football grow in the country.”

Meanwhile, Martinez called confronting racism in football “very important.”

“It’s a very delicate situation,” he admitted. “And it causes a lot of pain for many people.”

“But we have to be united against it,” said Martinez. “Now more than ever.”

“Football, the people who we share our lives with, and even just the people who watch football.”

The Inter captain declared that “we all have to be united, to ensure that these things never happen again, because everyone is equal and we have to respect each other.”

“I speak as a colleague, as a footballer, and as a teammate,” Martinez said. “But also as a fan.”