Why did Real Madrid prodigy wear Barcelona icon’s shirt number for Argentina | OneFootball

Franco Mastantuono’s move to Real Madrid brought the youngster into the spotlight in global football.

While he was widely known even earlier, playing for Los Blancos has made him a household name.

In his short time for Real Madrid so far, the player has left a positive impression showing great composure on the ball, creativity and an attacking threat in the midfield.

Concurrently, he has also been rising up the ranks in Lionel Scaloni’s Argentine national team and was surprisingly handed Lionel Messi’s number 10 kit in his absence during the World Champions’ most recent outing.

Why did Mastantuono inherit the number?

Lionel Messi has been central to Argentina’s plans for close to two decades now but his most illustrious chapter with the national team only came after Lionel Scaloni’s arrival as he conquered not only South America but also the world.

He has been the team’s legendary number 10 and leader on the field.

On occasions of his absence, however, the door is thrown open for the manager to trust a new player with the weight of the shirt and the likes of Paulo Dybala, Thiago Almada and Angel Correa have enjoyed that fortune in the past.

Franco Mastantuono was Argentina’s number 10. (Photo by Franklin Jacome/Getty Images)

In Argentina’s game against Ecuador last night, Scaloni handed Real Madrid’s Mastantuono that legendary kit, thereby making a massive statement in the process.

The very fact that the coach saw the young talent fitting to take that number sends two messages.

One to Mastantuono that he heavily counts on him in the coming years and another to the world that the Real Madrid star may well be the heir to the crown in the long run.

There is one crucial development

Further, there is widespread speculation that Messi may have even played his final game for Argentina as he is yet to confirm his participation in the next FIFA World Cup.

In such a scenario, Scaloni’s selection makes it all the more clear that Mastantuono is the chosen heir.

Mastantuono has earned the respect and admiration of the coaching staff already and is expected to have a big role to play for the team in the upcoming FIFA World Cup where Argentina will look to defend their crown.

Last night, he played just 28 minutes with the shirt and did not show many signs of nerves as he adapted well to the pressure, although his team did lose 0-1.