Franco Mastantuono won't go to the World Cup with Argentina | OneFootball

The left-footed Real Madrid midfielder, who once wore Messi’s No. 10 in the qualifiers, will not make the final squad for the World Cup.

Argentina’s final squad for the 2026 World Cup is expected to be announced this Friday, but it has already emerged that there will be one major omission: Franco Mastantuono. The Real Madrid midfielder, who wore Lionel Messi’s No. 10 during his absence in the South American qualifiers, will not be called up by Lionel Scaloni to travel to the United States.

The reasons are purely football-related. Although he has been on the coaching staff’s radar since he was leaving defenders behind and scoring stunning goals in a River shirt, his limited role at Real Madrid has pushed him several places back in the battle for a spot on the 26-man roster.

Scaloni has no doubts about the talent of the left-footed midfielder, who is only 18 years old and whom he has praised on more than one occasion, even handing him the historic shirt worn by legends such as Messi and Diego Armando Maradona. However, he knows that the youngster has not shown his best form on the pitch, affected by the crisis that has been hanging over Los Blancos for several months now.

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