On Thursday night, Lionel Messi played his final match in the World Cup qualifiers, scoring twice in Argentina’s 3-0 victory over Venezuela. Alongside him was Real Madrid rising star Franco Mastantuono, who later shared his honest thoughts about the experience of playing next to Leo.
“It’s incredible to play with him—honestly, it was the dream of my life,” Mastantuono admitted in an interview shared by TyC Sports after the match against Venezuela. The young winger added another special detail: “Doing it at River’s stadium made it even more incredible.”
For Mastantuono, it was only his second appearance with the Argentina senior national team, following his debut during the June international break against Chile. It was also his first time as a starter, and he played 63 minutes before being replaced by Nicolas Gonzalez.
Reflecting on what it means to share the pitch with Messi, Franco was candid. “Like I’ve always said, he’s been my idol since I was a kid. I watched his entire career growing up, and seeing him play like he did—being able to say goodbye in that way—it’s what he deserves and what we all wanted to see,” he explained.
Franco Mastantuono of Argentina controls the ball next to Lionel Messi.
Mastantuono apologizes to Messi
Both left-footed and naturally inclined to play on the right wing, Mastantuono and Messi were involved in several attacking moves together during their time on the field against Venezuela. One particular play, however, stood out.
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After a series of passes between several Argentine players, Leo set up Franco with a clever assist. Messi was expecting the return pass, but the Real Madrid talent chose to take the shot himself—sending it wide and immediately apologizing to his captain.
Asked about the moment in the post-match press conference, Mastantuono offered a light-hearted response. “I wanted to kill myself,” he said with a smile. “But it’s okay, he understood me and I apologized for the play.”
Will Mastantuono make the 2026 World Cup squad?
After being crowned champions in Qatar 2022, Argentina has continued its winning ways in recent years, lifting the Copa America 2024 and finishing atop the South American qualifiers for the World Cup 2026, well ahead of the competition.
However, that path has included significant changes to the roster, with the departure of several veterans and the emergence of a new wave of young talent steadily earning their place. Franco Mastantuono is among them, and he’ll be competing for one of the 26 spots on head coach Lionel Scaloni’s final list. That battle, though, will be fierce.
Argentina boast a deep group of attacking midfielders and forwards who will need to stand out to secure a spot in the squads headed to the United States, Mexico, and Canada. Among the established names are Leandro Paredes, Rodrigo De Paul, Enzo Fernandez, Alexis Mac Allister, Thiago Almada, Giovani Lo Celso, Exequiel Palacios, and Nicolas Gonzalez.
But there’s also a promising crop of young players, including Mastantuono, Nicolas Paz, Alejandro Garnacho, Valentin Carboni, Claudio Echeverri, and Facundo Buonanotte. Clearly, not everyone will make the cut.
