One of many greatest surprises earlier than Argentina’s match towards Ecuador got here within the locker room, when it was revealed that Franco Mastantuono would put on the legendary No. 10 jersey of Lionel Messi. With the captain unavailable, the 17-year-old Actual Madrid prospect inherited probably the most iconic quantity in world soccer.
Mastantuono, previously of River Plate and now a part of Actual Madrid’s youth system, got here off the bench and performed a handful of minutes with the historic shirt. Regardless of his presence, Argentina fell to Sebastián Beccacece’s Ecuador, a end result that dampened the debut of Messi’s momentary inheritor.
In his post-match press convention, coach Lionel Scaloni defined the choice behind the task: “At first, Thiago Almada was going to put on it, however he couldn’t participate within the match, so we gave it to Franco. We most well-liked to not danger Thiago attributable to a bodily challenge.”
Scaloni praises Mastantuono’s character
Regardless of the defeat, Scaloni emphasised the positives of Mastantuono’s efficiency: “He got here in nicely. He has character, he likes to play with the ball, and he asks for it. The issue was that Ecuador was sitting deep with a compact block, and there weren’t many areas.”
Mastantuono was the youngest participant in Argentin’s historical past to put on the quantity 10 jersey.
Scaloni careworn that a very powerful takeaway was the teen’s willingness to step up: “What issues is that he at all times tries, and he has character. It’s one other match for him, extra minutes with the nationwide workforce, and that’s beneficial.”
see additionally
Actual Madrid’s Mastantuono jokes about second with Messi throughout Argentina match: ‘I needed to kill myself’
The coach is already shifting his focus to October’s FIFA worldwide window, the place Argentina will play two friendlies.
Argentina’s upcoming matches
Argentina will return to motion on Friday, October 10, 2025, after they face Venezuela on the Onerous Rock Stadium in Miami. The match will kick off at 9:00 PM ET.
Just a few days later, Argentina will journey to Chicago to tackle Puerto Rico in one other pleasant, with kickoff time but to be confirmed. If Argentina wins each video games, Scaloni’s squad may climb again to the high of the FIFA rankings, a place they misplaced following the defeat to Ecuador.
