Lionel Scaloni explains why he gave Messi’s No.10 shirt to Franco Mastantuono

One of the biggest surprises before Argentina’s match against Ecuador came in the locker room, when it was revealed that Franco Mastantuono would wear the legendary No. 10 jersey of Lionel Messi. With the captain unavailable, the 18-year-old Real Madrid prospect inherited the most iconic number in world soccer.

Mastantuono, formerly of River Plate and now part of Real Madrid, came off the bench and played a handful of minutes with the historic shirt. Despite his presence, Argentina fell to Sebastián Beccacece’s Ecuador, a result that dampened the debut of Messi’s temporary heir.

In his post-match press conference, coach Lionel Scaloni explained the decision behind the assignment: “At first, Thiago Almada was going to wear it, but he couldn’t take part in the match, so we gave it to Franco. We preferred not to risk Thiago due to a physical issue.”

Scaloni praises Mastantuono’s personality

Despite the defeat, Scaloni emphasized the positives of Mastantuono’s performance: “He came in well. He has personality, he likes to play with the ball, and he asks for it. The problem was that Ecuador was sitting deep with a compact block, and there weren’t many spaces.”

Scaloni stressed that the most important takeaway was the youngster’s willingness to step up: “What matters is that he always tries, and he has personality. It’s another match for him, more minutes with the national team, and that’s valuable.”

The coach is already shifting his focus to October’s FIFA international window, where Argentina will play two friendlies.

Argentina’s upcoming matches

Argentina will return to action on Friday, October 10, 2025, when they face Venezuela at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. The match will kick off at 9:00 PM ET.

A few days later, Argentina will travel to Chicago to take on Puerto Rico in another friendly, with kickoff time yet to be confirmed. If Argentina wins both games, Scaloni’s squad could climb back to the top of the FIFA rankings, a position they lost following the defeat to Ecuador.