Facundo Buonanotte has made four appearances for Brighton & Hove Albion since he swapped Rosario Central for the Premier League side in January.
The midfielder came off the bench in the two league matches before he was handed hist first start in the Seagulls’ FA Cup win over Stoke City last month.
Argentina face Panama and Curaçao in friendly fixtures later this month and the Brighton player has been included in the squad. It’s the 18-year-old’s first senior call-up and he wasn’t expecting it to happen so soon.
Cadena 3 Rosario interviewed the teenager after Lionel Scaloni named him in the squad, and on his selection, he said: “I was not expecting this and it came as a surprise. I feel very comfortable at the new club.
“After the game against Stoke, I got a message from Scaloni’s assistant. I was with Alexis [Mac Allister] who told me that they asked for my number.”
A move to Brighton saw Buonanotte relocate to a new country and he’s starting to settle well in England. Unlike Mac Allister, the attacking midfielder was not part of Argentina’s World Cup winning squad.
Despite this, the youngster has explained he gets the same treatment as his compatriot at the English club, thanks to La Albiceleste’s success in Qatar.
“I’m living in the quiet part of Brighton, it’s called Hove. I’m waiting to buy a grill and Alexis said he could lend me one of his. Many Argentines love us here. The staff always call us world champions, they always highlight that for you,” Buonanotte explained.
