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English Woman's Journal - Key players from Inter's title triumph

Key players from Inter's title triumph

SPORTS 22.04.2024
Key players from Inter's title triumph
Key players from Inter's title triumph / Photo: Piero CRUCIATTI - AFP/File

Inter Milan strode to their 20th Italian league title on Monday after blowing away the rest of Serie A and crowing themselves champions the best way possible, winning a derby with AC Milan.

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Here AFP Sport looks at the players who had the biggest impact in Inter's dream season:

Lautaro Martinez

Argentina forward Martinez has long been a key man for Inter but since becoming team captain at the start of the season he has shown himself to a be a leader by example.

With 23 goals in 29 appearances Martinez has once again improved his Serie A tally after becoming Inter's main centre-forward rather than the foil to a target man.

The 26-year-old has also been crucial to Marcus Thuram settling in so well in his first season as he has borne the weight of leading Inter's attack.

Marcus Thuram

Inter's recent financial problems have led to the club having to shop around for deals and Thuram has been as good an acquisition as anyone could have hoped for the princely sum of a free transfer.

The son of World Cup winner Lilian, France forward Thuram returned to the country of his birth from Borussia Moenchengladbach last summer with the unenviable task of plugging the gap left by Edin Dzeko and Romelu Lukaku.

And the 26-year-old has stepped up in a big way, scoring 12 times in Serie A and helping fans digest much more easily the traumatic way Lukaku departed for a second time in three summers.

Hakan Calhanoglu

Turkey captain Calhanoglu proclaimed himself the best midfield playmaker in the world in February, two days after Inter's first-leg win over Atletico Madrid in the last 16 of the Champions League.

His statement was more than a bit hubristic, as was talk in Italy of Inter becoming European champions, but regardless the 30-year-old has been a key cog in a winning machine.

Calhanoglu has flourished in a deep-lying role Inzaghi picked for him after Marcelo Brozovic left for the Saudi Pro League, linking play and upping his goal tally to 13 with three assists.

Yann Sommer

Another cut-price replacement for a departed star, Switzerland goalkeeper Sommer has slotted in between the sticks as though Andre Onana had never been there.

Inter made a huge profit on Onana by selling the Cameroonian, who was key to their run to last year's Champions League final, to Manchester United for 57 million euros.

But while Onana has floundered at Premier League giants United, Sommer has shone in his first season in Serie A, helping an already solid defence become easily the best in the country.

Federico Dimarco

Along with Nicolo Barella, Dimarco is the star of a solid Italian block of players at Inter, a buccaneering wing-back who is crucial to both defence and attack.

Milanese by birth and a lifelong Inter supporter, Dimarco has established himself as one of Europe's premier full-backs since bursting into the first team two years ago.

This season, as well as contributing to Inter's phenomenal defensive performance, Dimarco has scored six times in all competitions while setting up another six goals from the left flank.

P.Smid--EWJ

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