The 19-year-old Real Madrid loanee produced a sensational performance on Friday as Fiorentina came from behind to beat Venezia 4–2 at the Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo and claim their first Serie A points of the season.
• Venezia: Akor Adams 22', Antoine Hainaut 86'
• Fiorentina: Franco Mastantuono 29', 31', 84', Mateo Pellegrino 66'
Venezia struck first in the 22nd minute when Akor Adams finished a quick attacking move to give the hosts an early advantage.
Fiorentina, however, responded through their teenage Argentine star. Mastantuono levelled in the 29th minute with a left-footed strike from outside the area before producing another excellent finish shortly afterwards to complete the turnaround.
Those two goals came in the space of just a few minutes and transformed the match. Fiorentina went into the interval with a 2–1 advantage after recovering strongly from their slow start.
The visitors extended their lead in the 66th minute when Mateo Pellegrino finished after being set up by Nicolò Fagioli.
Mastantuono then completed his hat-trick six minutes from normal time. The forward reacted quickest inside the area to score his third and put Fiorentina 4–1 ahead.
Venezia pulled another goal back in the 86th minute through Antoine Hainaut, but Fiorentina held on to secure a much-needed victory.
The result was particularly significant for Mastantuono. At 19 years and 28 days, he became the youngest Argentine to score a hat-trick in any of Europe's top five domestic leagues, surpassing the mark previously established by Lionel Messi.
Messi had set the previous benchmark with his first Barcelona hat-trick against Real Madrid in March 2007. Mastantuono has now moved ahead of one of the greatest players in football history barely weeks into his loan spell at Fiorentina.
The performance also made Mastantuono the youngest Fiorentina player to score a Serie A hat-trick, adding another remarkable milestone to a night in which he delivered his first goals for the club in the competition.
For Fiorentina, the victory ended a difficult start to the campaign. The Viola had lost their opening three Serie A matches against Roma, Frosinone and Torino, leaving them desperate for a response.
The return of Paolo Vanoli to the Fiorentina bench could hardly have produced a better result. More importantly, the club now have a new attacking star capable of producing moments that are already being compared with the achievements of Messi.
Mastantuono's hat-trick did not merely earn Fiorentina three points. It announced the arrival of a young Argentine talent who has already begun rewriting his country's record books.