The remarkable win over Juventus aside, there has been precious little for Inter fans to smile about of late. Disappointing results, internal bickering and no coherent strategy to address their troubles have all contributed to their misery. But they might have found the cure for their long-running depression in the shape of Obafemi Martins.

Hailing from Nigeria, this teen sensation just about typifies everything his team have not been in recent times. Exciting, entertaining and enjoyable to watch, the little striker has often been a glimmer of gold amongst some otherwise rough diamonds. It is not such an exaggeration to think that Inter’s regeneration might start precisely from this striker’s deadly boots.

It was the brother of another former Serie A star, Sunday Oliseh, who spotted Martins’ talent early. That brought him to Reggiana as a promising prospect in 2000 and a year later Inter saw enough potential to snap him up. It is a mark of his quality that he has seen off the competition of many of the Nerazzurri’s more illustrious strikers to become a star man in both Serie A and the Champions’ League.

What marks him out is his explosive strength and speed which teams in Italy and the rest of Europe have found hard to cope with. Goals against the likes of Milan, Juventus and Arsenal have already shown he has an eye for the major occasion. Heaven knows Inter could do with somebody that can shine on the biggest stages.

It was last season that supporters first got a hint of what the African frontman had to offer. He struck a goal in the ill-fated Champions’ League semi-final with Milan that earned him a lot of love from one half of the San Siro. Then he sparked the start of this campaign with a brilliant display to help destroy Arsenal at Highbury.

But as his club struggled so did the scorer and as the Hector Cuper story lurched towards its inevitable conclusion there were rumours that Martins would become the latest in a long line of young hitmen to be dumped by Inter - Adriano and Adrian Mutu spring to mind. Instead, he survived to be part of the Alberto Zaccheroni regime and early signs are that it may suit him.

Playing as part of a more adventurous side helped him have a huge part in dismantling Juventus in Turin recently. His little and large combination with the elegant Julio Cruz gave even the Bianconero back line a lot to cope with. Indeed, it was Martins who won the free-kick that landed the first goal, and then he crowned his performance with a typically cool finish.

What the pundits like about Martins is his whole-hearted approach to every game and his willingness to learn. And that is not something that can be said about every striker on Inter’s books. The 19-year-old has already come on in acrobatic leaps and bounds since hitting Serie A and there is plenty of room for improvement yet.

There are, of course, those who remain to be convinced that he has what it takes to play at the top level. They accuse him of being all about pace but that seems to ignore his growing gift of close control. Against even the most accomplished defenders in the world he seems capable of bursting free in the tightest of spaces.

These are the kind of traits that will not only get him his share of goals but also help to set up his strike partners. For a young man he is surprisingly cool in front of the sticks and you sometimes get the feeling that if Inter had paid more money for him they might be more inclined to let him play.

Still, the Zac era has brought a dash of optimism to the Stadio Meazza and nobody embodies that better than this new goal hero. With the new Coach favouring three front men in his line-up it surely means that Martins will be given more opportunity to feature in the side. If a clearly disaffected Christian Vieri is sold in January, it leaves an even bigger gap for the little Nigerian.

That would be a heavy responsibility for such an inexperienced player but he does not seem to let such troubles faze him. Indeed, his cool approach to big games has gained him a lot of admirers - and no few goals. Surely if Inter are to pick themselves back up to the top end of the table they have to make the best use possible of this little gem.

It looks like being a big year for Oba-Oba, even if his team should stumble out of the Champions’ League after such a good start. There are a lot of points to prove in Serie A - and the doubters to be convinced that he deserves his place in such illustrious company. If he achieves all that and it happens to bring a trophy Inter’s way then he will surely not be the only one doing somersaults of joy.