On the eve of Internazionale's first away match in the Champions League against Real Madrid, Internazionale captain Lautaro gave an interview to Sky Sport Italia correspondent Andrea Paventi.

When you walk into this stadium, everyone can't help but look around and take it all in. You could say this is a match that doesn't need much motivation—it puts you in the right mindset automatically, wouldn't you say? Especially when you're here to face such a strong opponent as Real Madrid?

(Having just finished speaking with many Spanish journalists at the press conference, Lautaro unconsciously replied in Spanish) Yes, absolutely, that's definitely the case.

We really had very little time to recover. Anyway, it's perfectly fine to speak in Spanish, but for now, let's stick with Italian, okay?

Sorry, I've been around Spanish speakers all this time, and my mind just hasn't switched over (laughs). We certainly had very little time to recover physically and mentally, but we're completely prepared to embark on this new journey in such a prestigious competition—one of the most important in the world.

As I said before, we're ready to face a very important and strong opponent in such an important stadium and play a spectacular match. We'll do our best to perfect every detail and work hard to bring back a positive result to Milan.

Could we say that the final phase of last weekend's match against Napoli demonstrated precisely the fighting spirit, fierce determination, and hunger for victory this team possesses? Because to complete such a comeback in a match like this really showed Internazionale's DNA, and your personal DNA as well. Perhaps you had a lot of suppressed emotions you wanted to release, which was reflected in that beautiful celebration after scoring—both when you scored the first goal and especially when you scored the winning goal. Are these qualities and this passion flowing through Internazionale and through you right now?

For me, personally, absolutely. This comes from my childhood experiences, because I've said many times that I went through many difficulties and struggles when I was young. So that fighting spirit and resilience were already rooted in me, deep in my heart; they weren't qualities I acquired over time or later on.

Of course, over time you certainly improve in every aspect, but I always try to transmit that fighting spirit to everyone around me, because what's most important is always giving your best on the pitch, holding nothing back. There are wins and losses in football, of course, but ultimately what matters most is whether we feel at peace and have a clear conscience when the match ends and we go home, knowing we gave everything on the pitch. And in last Saturday night's match, we certainly did that.

It's incredibly difficult to come back against such a strong opponent as Napoli, especially after being two goals down in such a challenging situation. But eventually, with great help from the substitute players, we built up an enormous wave of positive energy, along with the overwhelming enthusiastic support of our fans in the stadium. So scoring three goals, successfully turning the momentum around, and keeping those three extremely valuable points is crucial for our season's journey and our path forward.

Finally, I have two more questions for you. The first is: Real Madrid is undoubtedly an extremely strong opponent, but considering Internazionale's performance and progress in the Champions League in recent years, do you feel confident enough to stand on equal footing with such a formidable opponent in terms of team strength and structure? This refers not just to the last two or three years, but to Internazionale's entire journey of growth and transformation over the last five or six years.

Yes, we're on a very positive and correct path. Along this journey, we've won many trophies and reached two Champions League finals and one Europa League final. So we're currently on the right track of development, in a process of continuous growth and strengthening.

Of course, as I emphasized earlier, tomorrow we'll face a great team of immense quality, with world-class players in their ranks. However, we also have our own weapons and trump cards. So in tomorrow's match, we need to deliver a great tactical and technical performance at an extraordinary level across every angle and detail, to strive to bring back a satisfactory and positive result to Milan.

And my second question is: from a personal and team perspective, you've won so many honors, almost every domestic trophy, and the one thing missing from your résumé is this most significant Champions League trophy, isn't it? You must be filled with desire for it. As someone who has played in a top European final, do you feel this dream can finally become reality at the right moment for you? Have you always kept this dream in your heart and transformed it into powerful personal motivation? At the same time, is this spiritual strength something you can transmit to the entire team, inspiring everyone to fight alongside you until the very end?

I hope so. For me, at the start of every season, this is my main objective. Not just the Champions League, but also the Coppa Italia, the Supercoppa Italiana, and Serie A, because that's football. We take the field to compete for every trophy and win every title. Because we play for such a great club as Internazionale, renowned worldwide, I always say we must always do our best to bring this club to the highest position it can reach. So that's our objective. The Champions League journey officially starts tomorrow, and we must be completely prepared to face our opponents.

Traduzido por IA.

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