Lautaro Martínez breaks the wall and enters the Top 10 of the national team scorers: who he surpassed and how much was left of the podium

It was made to be desired. More than a calendar year and 777 minutes on the pitch that’s how long you should have waited Lautaro Martinez to end his biggest drought with the Argentina national team. He scored the final 3-1 against Costa Rica in what turned out to be a meeting he hired for the Bull, as well as being friendly. The fact is that, in addition to interrupting the negative period, the goal against the Ticos also has historical significance. The fact is that after the match, a piece of information emerged from the darkness, obscured by the curse it brought with it: He entered the Top 10 of the best scorers who have worn the Albiceleste shirt of all time.

Since the friendly against Honduras, in September 2022, before the World Cup in Qatar, Lautaro had not celebrated a goal with the national team. In between, he got tired of sinking goals at Inter and became captain. This season he has scored 23 goals in 29 games. Indisputable numbers, but which he did not finish translating in every call with Argentina.

It was a topic that made him increasingly “nervous and anxious.” “Even if you try to avoid these things, sometimes you’re always thinking and walking around,” he explained early Wednesday morning, when he had already taken off his backpack.

But after thousands of situations involved, Lautaro greeted the mufa and ended up breaking through the wall which was built overnight under the lens of every current rival of the national team. Not to mention the unusual goals disallowed in the first match in Qatar against Saudi Arabia, both with valuable goals.

Thus, with the goal against Costa Rica, El Toro reached his 22nd shout with Argentinathe one that seemed to elude him so much and which from the beginning seemed to have no relationship with the Top 10. He converted them in 56 gamesall during Lionel Scaloni’s cycle, a phase in which he remains the second best scorer, behind Lionel Messi who appears with 41 screams.

Now he has broken the curse, celebrated world champion for the first time and is lucky enough to have joined a group of privileged goal lovers. With 26 years behind him and a long road still ahead of him, Lautaro begins a race to engrave his name among the best scorers in the history of the national team. He took the first step in the early hours of this Wednesday: he equaled René Pontoni, an old record recorded between 1942 and 1945. Of course, the Leprosy star of the 1940s achieved it in 20 games, with a very high average of 1 ,1 points per game.

Where is Taurus aiming now? To Daniel Passarella and Luis Artime, who have a record of 23 and 24 goalsrespectively.

The element that Lautaro has in his favor is that only two players who make up the Top 10 are still active: Lionel Messi (who seems unattainable), the undisputed leader of the table with 106 goals, and Angelo Di Maria, who is seventh with 29 shouts. However, the journey of Spaghetti in the national team he will have his final point after the Copa América.

Likewise, the goal of becoming the center forward with the best record can be complicated for El Toro. You will have a task that is not at all easy to overcome Gabriele Batistuta, who led the list with 54 goals (in 77 games) until Messi’s emergence. Bati also has a very high goal average of 0.7 per game played.

Between Bati and Toro there are six other names: Sergio Agüero (42 goals), Hernan Crespo (35), Diego Maradona (32), Gonzalo Higuain (31), Angelo Di Maria (30), Luis Artime (24) e Daniele Passarella (23). A path full of stars to avoid.

Lautaro still has a long road ahead if he wants to reach the top 3. The last step of the podium goes to Sergio Agüero with 42 goals, 20 more than the player from Bahia.

“Very happy to enter the top 10 scorers of the Argentina national team. Thanks to everyone who supports me. Let’s go for more“, wrote the native of Bahía Blanca on his Instagram account after learning of his new personal achievement.

The positive fact: In three months Lautaro will wear the world champion shirt again with the hope of regaining the Copa América, which begins June 20 in the United States. The last test before Scaloni has to draw up the list of players called up, El Toro passed.

In the days before the start of the continental tournament, Argentina will play two friendly matches. one against Guatemala and the other before Ecuador. Martínez will have the opportunity to relight the fuse and prove that the drought is now a thing of the past. If he continues to shout goals for the country, at the same time he will ensure that his name continues to climb the historical rankings. Ceiling? It appears to be still unknownhe only knows that the inclusion on the list was long overdue.