Franco Mastantuono Makes History with Hat-Trick in Venice
Franco Mastantuono needed only one night in Venice to step out of Lionel Messi’s shadow and write his own line in Argentine football history.
The Fiorentina winger, on loan from Real Madrid, struck a stunning hat-trick in a 4-2 win at Venezia, becoming the youngest Argentine ever to score a treble in one of Europe’s top five leagues. At 19 years and 28 days, he beat Messi’s long-standing mark by 231 days.
Messi set his record with that unforgettable hat-trick in the Clasico against Real Madrid on 10 March 2007. Mastantuono did it in rather less glamorous surroundings, but the numbers do not care about scenery. The record is his.
A game flipped in 98 seconds
Fiorentina looked in trouble at the break. One goal down, no points on the board this Serie A season, and a stadium sensing blood.
Then Mastantuono exploded.
He wiped out Venezia’s lead and turned the match on its head with two goals in the space of just 98 seconds, a ruthless double that dragged Fiorentina from 0-1 down to 2-1 up almost before the home side had touched the ball. The visitors suddenly played with a swagger that had been missing for weeks.
The tension lingered until the closing stages. With six minutes of normal time left, Mastantuono struck again. His third goal made it 4-1 and effectively killed the contest. Venezia pulled one back, but the 4-2 final scoreline brought Fiorentina not only their first win of the new campaign, but their first points of any kind.
One teenager, three goals, one season back on track.
A €45m talent finally erupts
The obvious question follows: how much did this kid cost?
Real Madrid paid €45 million to sign Mastantuono from River Plate in 2025, a huge outlay for a teenager and a clear statement of faith in his potential. Until now, though, his numbers in Spain had not matched the hype.
Across 35 appearances in all competitions for Los Blancos, he averaged just 42 minutes per game, scoring three goals and adding one assist. Flashes, not fireworks.
So Madrid sent him out on loan to Italy until next summer. In Florence, he suddenly looks like a player ready to justify every cent of that fee.
Vanoli’s swift return, Grosso’s swift exit
Mastantuono stole the headlines, but this night in Venice also belonged to Paolo Vanoli.
The coach had kept Fiorentina in Serie A last season, only to be replaced in the summer by 2006 World Cup winner Fabio Grosso. The gamble backfired brutally. Grosso opened the new campaign with three straight defeats and a goal difference of 1:9. He was dismissed almost as quickly as he had arrived.
The club turned back to Vanoli this past week. His first game back in the dugout brought an away win, four goals, and a record-breaking performance from his young winger.
Madrid will be watching. River Plate will be nodding. Florence is already singing his name.
And somewhere in the background, a line in the record books now reads: youngest Argentine hat-trick scorer in a major European league — Franco Mastantuono, not Lionel Messi.
