Mastantuono to wear Messi’s No 10 shirt for Argentina against Ecuador | OneFootball

Franco Mastantuono took over the legendary number 10 jersey of the Argentine National Team, a decision made due to Lionel Messi's announced absence and Thiago Almada's last-minute discomfort for the match against Ecuador in the qualifiers.

Although it was expected that Almada would be part of the lineup again and wear the jersey made iconic by Messi and Diego Maradona, the Atlético de Madrid forward was left out of the match due to physical discomfort. In the obligation for it to be used, the honor went to the Real Madrid gem, who turned 18 just a few weeks ago.

If he plays, this would be only his third match with the national team, having debuted against Chile and started against Venezuela a few days ago at the Monumental. All matches during the qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.

Despite his young age, the native of Azul is no stranger to wearing the iconic jersey with the Albiceleste, having worn it during a friendly with the Argentine Under-20 team, not in official matches since that honor was held by Claudio "Diablito" Echeverri in the 2025 South American Championship, his only official tournament so far.

In a friendly with the Under-20 team, Mastantuono wears the number 10 of the Argentine National Team.

Curiously, José Pekerman pointed him out shortly before defeating Venezuela as the successor to Lionel Messi, which gains even more strength with this great vote of confidence from Scaloni: “He is going to make history and is starting to help us understand this new era. Maybe he is the one we are talking about: the team has to be organized, but the one who will make us win is this one”, he stated in an interview with DSports Radio.

The players who wore the number 10 of the Argentine National Team in Messi's absence

The former Barcelona and Paris Saint Germain player debuted with the senior team in 2005, but took over the number 10 on March 29, 2009, in the 4-0 victory against Venezuela. Since then, it has belonged to him. Except, of course, for the times he was not present. Review the 16 players who borrowed his emblem.

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