Madrid loanee Mastantuono breaks Messi’s record with Serie A hat-trick

Real Madrid loanee Franco Mastantuono Photo: Fabrizio Romano

Real Madrid loanee Franco Mastantuono made history after becoming the youngest Argentine player to score a hat-trick in one of Europe’s top five leagues.

As reported by Planet Football on Sunday, the 19-year-old winger scored three goals as Fiorentina came from behind to beat Venezia 4-2 in Serie A, securing their first points of the season in emphatic fashion.

Mastantuono was 19 years and 28 days old when he achieved the feat, making him 231 days younger than Lionel Messi was when the Barcelona legend scored his first hat-trick in one of Europe’s major leagues.

Two of Mastantuono’s goals came within just 108 seconds as Fiorentina overturned a one-goal deficit and completed a memorable comeback.

The performance could prove to be an important turning point for Mastantuono, who endured a difficult start after moving to Italy on loan from Real Madrid.

Fiorentina had lost the first three matches in which the Argentine featured, but his outstanding display against Venezia offered a glimpse of the potential that prompted Real Madrid to sign him from River Plate for €45m in 2025.

Mastantuono made 35 appearances for Real Madrid last season before being loaned to Fiorentina for the current campaign.

His difficult first year in Madrid also contributed to him missing out on Argentina’s World Cup squad, but his latest performance could strengthen his case for a return to the national team setup.

The youngster has never hidden his admiration for Messi. He chose the number 30 shirt at Real Madrid, the same number Messi wore when he began his Barcelona career.

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Mastantuono also praised Messi during his presentation at Madrid, describing the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner as the best player in the world.

Speaking about his playing style, Mastantuono said he is comfortable operating in different attacking positions.

“I’m an offensive player, left-footed, right-footed… I don’t like to describe myself; I prefer others to do it,” he said.

“What’s certain is that I’m going to give it my all. I’m going to be there in whatever way I can to help the team.”

He added: “I’m here to help in any way I can, although I’m more accustomed to starting on the right and coming inside.”

Mastantuono’s record-breaking hat-trick ended a mark that Messi had held for almost 30 years. Messi famously scored his first hat-trick for Barcelona against Real Madrid in 2007.

By the end of his teenage years, Messi had scored 30 goals for Barcelona, while Mastantuono currently has 16 senior career goals.

However, Barcelona youngster Lamine Yamal is already setting an even higher benchmark among teenage stars. Born just a month before Mastantuono, Yamal has scored 54 goals for the Catalan club.