Mastantuono breaks Messi’s record to make history at Fiorentina

Staff Report | PNN

Argentine youngster Franco Mastantuono has made an immediate impact after joining Italian club Fiorentina on loan from Real Madrid. Scoring three goals by himself in the team’s 4–2 victory over Venezia, he not only emerged as the hero of the match but also created a new milestone in the club’s history and European football.

At the age of 19 years and 28 days, Mastantuono scored a hat-trick in a Fiorentina shirt, becoming the youngest player in the club’s history to score three goals in a single match. His outstanding performance also helped Fiorentina secure their first victory of the season.

With this hat-trick, the Argentine youngster surpassed Lionel Messi. When Messi scored his first hat-trick for Barcelona on March 10, 2007, he was 19 years and 259 days old. Until now, Messi had held the record for the youngest player to score a hat-trick in Europe’s top five leagues.

Mastantuono broke that record at an age 231 days younger than Messi. He established the new record by scoring a hat-trick at 19 years and 28 days.

For Mastantuono, who joined Fiorentina on loan from Real Madrid, this was therefore much more than simply scoring three goals in a single match. It was also a major opportunity to announce his arrival on the highest stage of European football. Along with helping his team secure a victory, the Argentine youngster made his start memorable by breaking a record previously held by a legend such as Messi.