Messi’s successor and ex-Benfica target breaks Argentina record | OneFootball

Franco Mastantuono was the new 'number 10' of the Argentine national team and, despite the 1-0 defeat against Ecuador, the former Benfica target had reasons to smile, setting a new record in the history of the Albiceleste squad.

By wearing the number that usually belongs to Messi in Argentina's last World Cup 2026 qualifying match, Franco Mastantuono broke a record previously held by the legendary Diego Maradona. The Real Madrid footballer became the youngest player ever to wear the iconic shirt for Argentina, at 18 years and 23 days old.

The previous record holder, Diego Maradona, had held this achievement until the early hours of this Wednesday. The record had been set at least since 1979, when he wore the number ten for Argentina at 18 years, 9 months, and 3 days old.

Although he is already wearing a shirt whose number belonged to the best players in Argentina, this was only Mastantuono's third match for the world champion national team. The choice was due to the absences of Lionel Messi and the injured Thiago Almada, who would have been the player chosen to wear the number 10 in the captain's absence.

This same match, in which Argentina ended up defeated, was a true nightmare for Benfica's captain, Otamendi. The player, who started for Argentina, made a premature exit from the match, after receiving a straight red card in the 31st minute due to a reckless challenge at the edge of his own box.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.