Inter Milan’s turbulent 2024–25 campaign suffered another crushing setback, this time with a shock elimination at the hands of Fluminense in the FIFA Club World Cup 2025. In the aftermath of the defeat, captain Lautaro Martínez and club CEO Giuseppe Marotta didn’t hold back—sending a clear message to one of their own: “If you don’t want to be here, please leave.”
After a shaky group stage, Inter faced Fluminense in the round of 16 at Bank of America Stadium. The Brazilian side stunned the Italian giants with a 2–0 win, sparking frustration from Martínez, who directly addressed internal issues and called for stronger commitment within the squad.
“I’m the captain and I want to stay at the top. I want to fight for the most important titles. I saw things I didn’t like. We need players who want to be here. We need the right mentality. Whoever wants to stay, should stay. If not, please leave,” Martínez said in a post-match interview with DAZN.
Marotta reveals the name
While Lautaro declined to name names when asked whether his comments were aimed at a specific teammate, club CEO Giuseppe Marotta was more direct. In a separate post-match interview, Marotta praised the captain’s leadership before identifying Hakan Calhanoglu as the player in question.
“I would say that Lautaro’s comments are very emotional and meaningful—he’s the captain and he wants a sense of belonging. But I’ve always said it: when a player says they want to leave, the door is wide open. He didn’t say it, but I will—this is about Calhanoglu.”
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Marotta clarified that the Turkish international hasn’t formally asked to leave, but acknowledged the situation remains fluid: “But we shouldn’t crucify Calhanoglu; we’ll talk with him. For now, there’s no basis to part ways, but if that changes, we’ll do it without any problems.”
Calhanoglu started the UEFA Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain, playing 70 minutes. However, after recovering from injury ahead of the Club World Cup, he was left off the bench entirely in back-to-back games—first against River Plate, then Fluminense.
Inter wrap up the 2024–25 season having lost the UCL final, fallen short in the Coppa Italia semifinals, and surrendered the Serie A title on the final day. With Simone Inzaghi departing to Saudi Arabia and Cristian Chivu stepping in as head coach, a major rebuild now looms for the Nerazzurri.
