Lionel Messi's record years – Real Madrid loan sparks Serie A buzz

Since his highly anticipated arrival in Europe, the 19‑year‑old Franco Mastantuono has rarely been able to showcase his talent in the new environment, but on Friday the spark was lit: a hat‑trick for FC Venice, which caused a stir by breaking the almost 20‑year‑old record of his compatriot Lionel Messi in Serie A.

Young Argentine breaks long‑standing record

At 19 years and 28 days, Mastantuono is the youngest Argentine to have scored a hat‑trick in one of the major European leagues – Italy, England, Spain, Germany or France. This makes him 231 days younger than Messi, who set his goal‑scoring record on 10 March 2007 and held it ever since.

Details of the hat‑trick and season opener

In just 98 seconds he turned the game against Fiorentina around after a 0‑1 deficit with a double, before scoring the third goal in the 84th minute to make it 4‑2. The win was not only the first of the new season in the league, but also the first points for the club from Florence.

The young right‑winger arrived in 2025 from River Plate to Real Madrid for €45 million. With the Royals he has so far made 35 appearances, averaging 42 minutes, with three goals and one assist, before moving on loan to Italy.

Coach Paolo Vanoli, who returned after a brief spell under Fabio Grosso, received well‑deserved recognition in this match, after having saved Fiorentina from relegation last season.

Since his arrival Mastantuono has seen little playing time at Real Madrid, but at Florence he showed that he can unleash his talent under the right conditions. The coming days will reveal whether he will remain in Italy until next summer or return.