Lautaro Martínez struck in the third minute of stoppage time at the end of extra time to complete a 3-1 win over 10-man Switzerland in Kansas City on 12 July, sending Argentina into the 2026 World Cup semi-final against England. It capped a tournament in which he arrived as one of the most in-form forwards in Europe, having closed the 2025-26 Serie A season level on seven goals with AC Milan's Christian Pulisic. As defending champions, Argentina are now two wins from becoming the first side to retain the World Cup since Brazil in 1958 and 1962.

Born in Bahía Blanca on 22 August 1997, Lautaro joined Inter Milan from Racing Club in 2018 and became the club's captain, forming a devastating partnership with Romelu Lukaku and later Edin Džeko. He is a compact, high-energy centre-forward who excels at pressing and link-up play as well as finishing.

For Argentina, Lautaro provides the physical presence and running that lets Lionel Messi operate in deeper creative zones, a role that stayed modest by the numbers at Qatar 2022 but has now delivered a decisive extra-time goal on the sport's biggest stage.

Common Questions

Reference

Did Lautaro Martínez win the 2022 World Cup with Argentina?

Yes. Lautaro was part of Argentina's World Cup-winning squad in Qatar 2022, though he played a squad role behind Julián Álvarez as Messi's strike partner in the knockout rounds.

How far did Argentina get at the 2026 World Cup?

Argentina beat England 2-1 in the semi-final on 15 July 2026, Lautaro Martinez scoring the stoppage-time winner from a Messi cross, and reached the final against Spain on 19 July.Source: Lowdown

Did Lautaro Martínez score against Switzerland at the 2026 World Cup?

Yes. Lautaro scored in the 120+1' minute to complete Argentina's 3-1 extra-time win over 10-man Switzerland in the quarter-final on 12 July, sending them into the semi-final.Source: Lowdown

How many goals did Lautaro score this season at club level?

Lautaro Martínez had seven Serie A goals in the 2025-26 season with two matchdays remaining, joint-top with Christian Pulisic as of May 2026.Source: Lowdown

Is Lautaro Martínez Argentina's best striker for the 2026 World Cup?

Lautaro is Argentina's first-choice striker and captain of Inter Milan, finishing the 2025-26 Serie A season level with AC Milan's Christian Pulisic on seven goals as Capocannoniere contenders.Source: Lowdown

Source Material

Lautaro Martínez

How the World Sees Them

Italy

Highly regarded at Inter; the Serie A title race keeps him in Italian headlines even as attention shifts to the World Cup.

Brazil

Viewed as the key threat in any potential South American derby in the knockout stages.

England

Assessed primarily as a pressing and movement threat; England coaches would plan to nullify his link-up with Messi.

Argentina

Lautaro is the successor striker to a Messi-led era; Argentine fans expect him to carry the burden of goals while Messi operates deeper.