I read an article about him in russian, probably translated from spannish or other languages. Let me share some notes from that article with you.
He was born in Bahía Blanca where the argentinian basketball legend, former NBA player Manu Ginobili was also born. Until his 15 he used to play basketball and dreamed of becoming a NBA star one day, but then realized he wasn't growing any taller and decided to concentrate on football. People immediately found similarities between him and Aguero and started to call him the new Aguero, but he is different, he has his own style mixed with basketball.
Jumping, exceptional concentration, inclusiveness in all episodes, playing in the penalty box - all these are from basketball. Lautaro easily gets rid of defenders, has a sense of goal and the ability to go for a shot. He does not wait in the penalty area and does not fall out of the game when he does not receive the ball. Lautaro is always in motion, covers a large area and regularly comes deep to get the ball. Martinez can not be cut off from midfield.
Because of the mobility he posses , it looks like he is ideal as a forward or false 9, but this is an illusion. 94% of goals he scored are from the penalty box. He is a player of the penalty box, but with some unusual approach: he comes to the penalty box just to make the shot and usually breaks into it from the depths.
The coach from the "Racing" Academy Fabio Radaelli said that there are two players in him: the one who makes the cross, and the one who finishes.
“I envy Lautaro: at his age I didn’t know how to move on the field,” admitted Gabriel Batistuta.
All this came from basketball, where high intensity does not allow for a second to turn off from the game. In basketball Martinez learned to look for space in a tight box and break away from the defenders to receive the ball. He reminds Higuain and Icardi, who are known for ability to destroy man marker at the last moment, but never goes ahead - if necessary, stays on the second line, lets the opponents go forward and eventually wins the moment to shot. But he remain dangerous even if he didn’t manage to get away from his opponent: the 174-cm tall Martinez wins the fight in the penalty box more often than Cristiano, and the lack of physique he makes up by his jumping ability - the skill he learnt in basketball.
“Basketball still helps me: there I learned movement without a ball, shifting to open spaces on time and avoiding defenders,” admitted Martinez.
Concentration:
“The Racing club's psychologist used to do concentration tests regularly, and I always had better results,” said Lautaro. - For example, he would give us a sheet with numbers from 1 to 100 placed in random order. Our task would be to connect the maximum amount, without removing the pen from the paper. I'd score 95 numbers, while the others had around 40-50. Concentration is my gift, thanks to it I stay concentrated all 90 minutes of the match.”
Professionalism:
When Argentina first discussed the future transfer of Martinez no one was afraid he would have adaptation problems. Everyone knew about his professionalism. At the age of 20 years, Lautaro adjusted his life to football, hired a personal nutritionist and completely quit drinking soda, eating sweet and fat foods.
“I always want more, I am never satisfied,” it sounds as though Cristiano is speaking, but this is Martinez. - I try to refine every day, at every workout, accept any challenge and agree to any exercise that the coach gives. I do everything to get better. ”
The next day after the matches, Lautaro asks analysts for videos of his performances, examines each episode and studies his errors in movement and positioning. He consistently tries to eliminate every flaw, every centimeters or extra touches that prevented him in any moment.
There were also some information about his recent contributions to his National team
10 years of FIF
Forum Supporter
FIF Special Ones
Most Humorous Member
Nostradamus
Most Passionate Member
