Inter Milan captain Lautaro Martinez shares his emotional struggle after the 5-0 Champions League Final defeat to PSG, admitting he couldn’t speak for five days.
The 2025 UEFA Champions League Final will be remembered for a long time, especially by Inter Milan fans.
The team, led by captain Lautaro Martinez, suffered a crushing 5-0 defeat at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain. This loss not only marked the end of their European campaign but also capped off a season without silverware, ultimately leading to the departure of coach Simone Inzaghi to Al-Hilal.
Martinez recently opened up about the emotional toll of that defeat in an interview with France Football after being nominated for the Ballon d’Or. He revealed that he couldn’t speak for five days after the match, feeling blocked, distressed, and sad.
The Argentine striker emphasised that despite preparing well for the final, Inter couldn’t translate their game plan onto the pitch. “We knew that PSG would be a tough opponent, a solid team with a lot of confidence. But we were strong as well,” Martinez explained. “The last week, we prepared in a calm atmosphere, with a sense of peace and confidence. So yes, ‘helplessness’ is the right word for how we felt, because we couldn’t do any of what we had worked on”.
The defeat was particularly painful given Inter’s strong run in the knockout stages, where they eliminated Bayern Munich and Barcelona. The team’s semi-final win over Barcelona was a dramatic 7-6 aggregate victory in extra time, making the final loss even more unexpected.
Martinez didn’t shy away from acknowledging PSG’s dominance in the final. “They deserved this result, they played a great final,” he said, showing respect for the opponent’s performance. PSG’s victory marked a historic moment for the team, completing a quadruple of trophies with Gianluigi Donnarumma playing a crucial role in goal.
