Following a turbulent start for Fiorentina, who suffered defeat in their opening three league fixtures and dismissed manager Fabbio Grosso barely three months into his tenure, Franco Mastantuono produced a scintillating display against Venezia. The teenage Argentine prodigy, on loan from Real Madrid, delivered a masterclass to steer his side to their first three points of the campaign.

Mastantuono spearheaded an emphatic turnaround after the 'Viola' fell behind, producing two strikes from the edge of the area in the space of two minutes to lift the gloom surrounding the Tuscan outfit.

After compatriot Matteo Pellegrini added his name to the scoresheet and before Venezia pulled one back, Mastantuono sealed his hat-trick to write his name into the record books as the youngest Argentine player ever to claim a treble across Europe's top five leagues (LaLiga, Serie A, Premier League, Bundesliga, and Ligue 1).

The record had previously belonged to Lionel Messi, who was 231 days older than Mastantuono when he set the benchmark. Messi famously raised the Camp Nou roof against Real Madrid, finding the net in the final minute to salvage a dramatic draw.

That iconic evening announced Messi on the global stage in Spanish football's showpiece encounter, 'El Clasico', marking the first of 48 occasions on which the Argentine maestro would register three or more goals in Barcelona colours.

With his heroics against Venezia, Mastantuono also established himself as the youngest foreign player to score a hat-trick in Fiorentina's history, surpassing Claudio Desolati.

F. Mastantuono

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