Crispybeatle (Public domain), via Wikimedia Commons

Mastantuono beats Messi record with hat trick for Fiorentina

Franco Mastantuono delivered a historic performance on Friday, bagging three goals in Fiorentina's 4-2 triumph over Venezia to earn his club their initial points of the campaign and lift them to 15th in the standings. In doing so, the 19-year-old and 28-day-old winger surpassed Lionel Messi by 231 days to become the youngest Argentine to net a treble within Europe's primary five leagues, breaking a benchmark set during Messi's famous 2007 Clásico showing.

After Akor Adams capitalized on setup play by Gianluca Busio to put Venezia ahead in minute 22, Mastantuono answered with two strikes separated by just 98 seconds around the half-hour mark, simultaneously setting a franchise record as the youngest Fiorentina player to log a multi-goal display. Mateo Pellegrino extended the advantage midway through the final half, and while Antoine Hainaut added a consolation tally for a Venezia squad that remains stranded in last place without a point, Mastantuono finalized his hat trick in the 84th minute.

The breakout showcase marked the forward's initial scoring output since arriving in Italy on a temporary transfer last month from Real Madrid, instantly equaling the three goals he tallied across 35 outings during a challenging debut term in Spain. Having initially broken through as a 16-year-old phenom with River Plate before becoming Argentina's youngest senior international in June 2025, the attacker had prompted Madrid to outmaneuver Paris Saint-Germain for a six-year commitment.

Following his sparse production in Madrid and subsequent omission from Argentina's World Cup roster, Friday's showing provided an emphatic return to form.

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