Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Facundo Buonanotte has admitted he did not see a call up to the Argentine national side coming so soon.
The youngster has sat down for an interview with ESPN, relayed by relayed by Info Bae, to discuss a busy year for him so far.
He joined Brighton in a €6m deal from Rosario Central at the beginning of the January transfer window after months of speculation about a move to England.
Brighton had initially tried to sign him in the summer transfer window, but a deal was blocked at the last minute, with the Seagulls instead returning to get a deal done after the window had closed.
He’s yet to fully establish himself under Roberto de Zerbi as yet but has been in an around the squad, picking up minutes against Bournemouth, Fulham and West Ham in the Premier League so far.
That was not enough to put off Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni, who included the Brighton youngster in his squad for the upcoming international break, the first since their success in Qatar.
That was something Buonanotte was not expecting, a fact he is more than willing to admit when questioned on the matter.
“It was crazy. I didn’t expect Scaloni’s call-up, I was in shock,” he told ESPN, relayed by Info Bae.
“When I got home, I told my family and my agent. We hugged each other and were very excited.
“I was about to eat something on the bus after the Stoke City game and I received a message from an unknown number. When I saw that it said Scaloni, I jumped on it.
“They told me it was an assistant and that they wanted me to be part of the next call-up. When I saw that, I didn’t know what to do. Whether to cry, whether to laugh…
“Right next to me was Alexis, who told me that they had asked him for my number. I’m very happy, it’s a beautiful moment.”
