Lautaro Martínez Is Ready for Hollywood — and the 2025 Club World Cup | OneFootball

With the Club World Cup coming to Los Angeles in a few weeks, we revisit Lautaro Martínez’s comments on the city’s soccer legacy and the growth of the sport across the country.

The city of Los Angeles is no stranger to superstars, and that extends to the world of soccer as well.

In MLS alone, LA Galaxy and LAFC have rostered countless top tier talents including David Beckham, Zlatan Ibrahimović, Carlos Vela, and Gareth Bale. Going back to the NASL days, the LA Aztecs had George Best and Johan Cruyff, and in the women’s game, stars like Christen Press and Marta have graced LA with Angel City FC and the LA Sol.

The city is also a mainstay preseason tour stop for Europe’s top clubs, and it regularly hosts Liga MX and Mexico national team matches as well.

Soccer is deeply embedded in the fabric of LA, perhaps due to its large Latino population or the championship pedigree instilled by its MLS clubs. Whatever the reason, Los Angeles is a city where soccer fandom thrives like nowhere else in the country.

Of course, LA had to be a host city for the upcoming revamped and expanded FIFA Club World Cup, which will bring even more star power to Hollywood. Featuring 32 of the world’s top club teams, this will be the biggest Club World Cup to date.

North American participants in the tournament include MLS teams Seattle Sounders and Inter Miami CF, along with Liga MX clubs Monterrey and Pachuca. One more team will join them, with the final spot being decided in a play-in match on May 31 between Club América and LAFC, following Club León’s disqualification by FIFA.

Among the world’s top clubs making a stop in LA will be Inter Milan, who are currently preparing for a UEFA Champions League final. The Italian giants are set to make their Club World Cup debut against Monterrey CF at the historic Rose Bowl.

The iconic venue was the original home of the LA Galaxy, and is the only stadium to ever host a men’s World Cup final, women’s World Cup final, and Olympic gold medal match. More recently, it has hosted a pair of July 4 El Tráfico matches that both amassed over 70,000 fans.

The Nerazzuri will then head north to play their next two games at Seattle’s Lumen Field, home of the Seattle Sounders.

Inter have a wealth of talent throughout their roster, led by World Cup winner Lautaro Martínez. He has logged the second-most Serie A minutes this season only behind goalkeeper Yann Sommer, and leads the team with 29 goal contributions across all competitions.

Through Urban Pitch, I had the opportunity to access his recent conversation with FIFA, where he discussed the tournament and the rising influence of soccer in the United States.

Martínez reflected on the legacy of the global superstars that played in LA — from Beckham and Ibrahimović to Chicharito Hernández and Giorgio Chiellini.

“Yeah, everyone you mentioned is a football legend,” Martínez said. “They’re players who have really left their mark on the sport. So, it’s significant that they played in Los Angeles – that they played in the United States.”

Alex Grimm/Getty Images

Of course, Martínez’s fellow countryman Lionel Messi has also made a massive impact on the game in America.

“For us [in Europe] too…nowadays, we see more football from the United States, whereas before we didn’t see so much of it,” Martínez said. “Now, there are so many stars that have come to this league, like in this case with my teammate from the national team, [Lionel] Messi, who is playing there now, and so many other stars, they have helped the country, and U.S. football, grow a lot. So, this message is important, as well.”

Inter Milan will face River Plate, which qualified for the Club World Cup through the ranking pathway, along with 2022 AFC Champions League winners Urawa Red Diamonds and 2021 CONCACAF Champions Cup champions Monterrey. Martínez will aim to embody the soccer legends who have played in the city of Los Angeles and replicate the form he displayed during Argentina’s 2022 World Cup-winning campaign.

As the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup draws near, Los Angeles prepares again to take center stage. A longtime destination for global soccer icons, the city will now host one of the sport’s most prestigious tournaments, with Inter Milan and Martínez set to add to its rich history.

LA has and always will be a factor in soccer’s growth in the United States. With the expanded 32-team format, the spotlight has never been brighter, and Los Angeles remains at the heart of the global game.