Brighton duo Alexis Mac Allister, Facundo Buonanotte called up to Argentina squad

La Albiceleste will soon be preparing for their first two games against Panama on March 23 and Curacao on March 28 since lifting the 2022 World Cup in December.

Mac Allister had only received eight international caps for Argentina prior to the tournament in Qatar, but he managed to force his way into Lionel Scaloni's starting lineup and became an influential player en route to the final.

After scoring his first international goal in the group stage, the 24-year-old midfielder went on to become the first-ever Brighton player to start in a World Cup final before becoming the first Seagulls star to lift the most prestigious trophy in football.

Mac Allister provided an assist for Angel di Maria in the showpiece event, with Argentina eventually beating France 4-3 on penalties following a thrilling 3-3 draw in 120 minutes to win their first world title since 1986.

Buonanotte, meanwhile, has received his first senior call-up having previously played six times for Javier Mascherano's Under-20s, with his most recent outing as a substitute in the 2023 Under-20 South American Championship at the end of January.

The 18-year-old midfielder joined the Seagulls from Rosario Central for around £5.3m in January and made his debut as a substitute in the 1-0 victory over Bournemouth last month.

Buonanotte has already made quite the impression at Brighton, with club captain Lewis Dunk and head coach Roberto De Zerbi both full of praise for the youngster after he started his first game in the 1-0 FA Cup fifth-round win over Stoke City on Tuesday.

"I thought he was excellent today, Dunk told Sussex Live. "Obviously, he has played games back in Argentina in a good league. It was not an easy game to come into, they are always going to be tough to face but he did himself justice.

De Zerbi added: "I think Buonanotte played a good game [against Stoke]. It was his first full game in another country, with another language. I am sure he can become a great player for us in the future."

Brighton's Argentine duo are two of 10 Premier League players to be called up to Scaloni's 35-man squad, while Buonanotte is one of five players to receive his first senior call-up along with Manchester United's Alejandro Garnacho.

Garnacho, who narrowly missed out on a call-up for the World Cup, is enjoying an impressive breakthrough campaign under Erik ten Hag, recording five goals and six assists in 30 appearances for the Red Devils, including a late strike in the 3-1 FA Cup triumph over West Ham United on Wednesday.

Elsewhere, seven-time Ballon d'Or winner and World Cup hero Lionel Messi has also been named in the Argentina squad, with the 35-year-old just two strikes away from reaching the 100-goal milestone on the international stage.

Scaloni will lead his team out at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires for their first match since becoming world champions against Panama, before travelling to the Estadio Unico Madre de Ciudade in Santiago del Estero for their next friendly against Curacao five days later.

ARGENTINA'S 35-MAN SQUAD IN FULL

Goalkeepers: Franco Armani (River Plate), Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa), Geronimo Rulli (Ajax)

Defenders: Marcos Acuna (Sevilla), Lautaro Blanco (Elche), Juan Foyth (Villarreal), Lisandro Martinez (Manchester United), Nahuel Molina (Atletico Madrid), Gonzalo Montiel (Sevilla), Nicolas Otamendi (Benfica), Nehuen Perez (Udinese), German Pezzella (Real Betis), Cristian Romero (Tottenham Hotspur), Nicolas Tagliafico (Lyon)

Midfielders: Thiago Almada (Atlanta United), Facundo Buonanotte (Brighton & Hove Albion), Rodrigo De Paul (Atletico Madrid), Enzo Fernandez (Chelsea), Giovani Lo Celso (Villarreal), Alexis Mac Allister (Brighton & Hove Albion), Exequiel Palacios (Bayer Leverkusen), Leandro Paredes (Juventus), Maximo Perrone (Manchester City), Guido Rodriguez (Real Betis)

Forwards: Julian Alvarez (Manchester City), Emiliano Buendia (Aston Villa), Valentin Carboni (Inter Milan), Joaquin Correa (Atletico Madrid), Angel Di Maria (Juventus), Paulo Dybala (Roma), Alejandro Garnacho (Manchester United), Nicolas Gonzalez (Fiorentina), Papu Gomez (Sevilla), Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan), Lionel Messi (Paris Saint-Germain)