Soulé and Castro earn Argentina debuts in 7-0 rout of Burkina Faso

Matías Soulé and Santiago Castro made their official Argentina debuts in a 7–0 victory over Burkina Faso, with Leonardo Balerdi also featuring for the Albiceleste. All three Roma players came off the bench in the second half: Soulé and Balerdi were substituted on at the 46th minute when Argentina already led 5–0, while Castro replaced Lautaro Martínez at the 69th minute. The goals came from Lautaro Martínez (two), Prestianni, Nico Paz, Julián Álvarez, Mastantuono and Giuliano Simeone. For Castro, the Roma number 9, the appearance held particular significance as his first senior international cap. He marked the occasion with a post on Instagram celebrating the milestone, writing: "There are moments that stay with you forever, and today I had the chance to live one. Wearing this shirt for the first time and representing my country is a pride difficult to explain. Thank you to everyone who accompanied me on this journey. As a child I dreamed of this moment, and today I can say it came true. An unforgettable day. May it be the first of many." For Soulé, the appearance was equally momentous—a first senior call-up and debut for Argentina after joining Roma in summer 2024. Balerdi, who arrived at the club in the same window, continues to develop his international presence alongside his club commitments.

Gian Piero Gasperini is already planning Roma's January window despite the club sitting top of the table with a functioning attack led by Dybala and Malen. Between appearances at the Trento Festival and work at Trigoria, Roma are targeting reinforcements in the attacking department, focusing on players currently struggling for minutes at their clubs. A conversation between CEO Galantic and Gasperini at the festival underscores Roma's philosophy of planning winter moves in advance. Roma's priority remains a quality wide forward, with evaluation also ongoing into a more complete profile like Oosterwolde. Four players already tracked in the summer transfer window remain in the club's sights: Gittens, Leweling, Luiz Henrique and Endrick. The common thread linking them is a shortage of regular playing time. Gittens, a Gasperini favourite, has yet to debut in the Premier League. Leweling plays only sporadic minutes at Stuttgart and was excluded from the initial squad list under new national team coach Klopp. Luiz Henrique remains blocked in Russia by bureaucratic issues that have also cost him national team call-ups. Endrick's situation is the most delicate. Mourinho secured him at Real Madrid over the summer, but the Brazilian has virtually disappeared: just four minutes across La Liga and the Champions League combined. That picture of underuse could shift as soon as November, when UEFA will make decisions on the Settlement Agreement, opening new scenarios potentially favourable to Roma heading into the winter market.

Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini is pressing Roma to strengthen their attacking ranks in the January transfer window, a priority that remained unmet during the summer. At the Festival dello Sport in Trento, CEO John Galantic was asked about a possible January arrival and responded: "Nice question." Gasperini immediately added: "Very nice." While the comment was partly tongue-in-cheek, it underscores the coach's determination to add an attacking winger, a position he had already requested in the summer window. Roma's focus remains on securing an attacking wide player, though the club has also considered a full-back option in Jayden Oosterwolde. Four names dominate the shortlist: Jamie Gittens, Jamie Leweling, Luiz Henrique and Endrick. A common thread links most of them — they are struggling for minutes at their current clubs. Gittens, reportedly among Gasperini's preferred targets, has not yet made a Premier League appearance. Leweling has accumulated only 146 minutes across Bundesliga, German Cup and Champions League competition for Stuttgart without starting a match, a lack of game time that also cost him a place in Jürgen Klopp's initial squad list as Germany's new national team coach. Luiz Henrique remains in Russia following bureaucratic obstacles that delayed Roma's pursuit last summer; the Brazilian has also lost ground in the national team setup, making a January reopening of talks less straightforward. Endrick represents a different scenario. The Brazilian was close to Roma in the summer before José Mourinho chose to retain him at Real Madrid. The Portuguese manager had praised him publicly, but has given him only four minutes across league and Champions League fixtures so far. Should his situation remain unchanged, a loan move could become realistic in January. Financial constraints will prove decisive. UEFA's ruling on Roma's Settlement Agreement breach is due in November, and that verdict may constrain the club's negotiating room. Gasperini's technical priority is unmistakable — an attacking wide player — but the scope for converting that request into a concrete deal remains to be determined by the financial outlook.

Matías Soulé and Santiago Castro made their official Argentina debuts in a 7–0 victory over Burkina Faso, with Leonardo Balerdi also featuring for the Albiceleste. All three Roma players came off the bench in the second half: Soulé and Balerdi were substituted on at the 46th minute when Argentina already led 5–0, while Castro replaced Lautaro Martínez at the 69th minute. The goals came from Lautaro Martínez (two), Prestianni, Nico Paz, Julián Álvarez, Mastantuono and Giuliano Simeone. For Castro, the Roma number 9, the appearance held particular significance as his first senior international cap. He marked the occasion with a post on Instagram celebrating the milestone, writing: "There are moments that stay with you forever, and today I had the chance to live one. Wearing this shirt for the first time and representing my country is a pride difficult to explain. Thank you to everyone who accompanied me on this journey. As a child I dreamed of this moment, and today I can say it came true. An unforgettable day. May it be the first of many." For Soulé, the appearance was equally momentous—a first senior call-up and debut for Argentina after joining Roma in summer 2024. Balerdi, who arrived at the club in the same window, continues to develop his international presence alongside his club commitments.

Argentina defeated Burkina Faso 7–0 in a friendly on 4 October, with Santiago Castro and Matías Soulé both making their national team debuts. Castro entered the pitch at 69 minutes in place of Lautaro Martinez, while Soulé, the 2003-born winger and former Juventus player, came on at half-time. Leonardo Balerdi also featured, coming on between the first and second halves. No Roma players scored in the match. Argentina's goals came from Lautaro Martinez, Prestianni, Nico Paz, Julián Álvarez, Mastantuono, and Giuliano Simeone, with an own goal completing the tally. Burkina Faso fielded an under-23 side. The fixture was marked by extraordinary circumstances. A scheduled flight from Morocco carrying Burkina Faso's full squad was cancelled due to an aircraft malfunction, leaving the players unwilling to make the journey given the exhaustion it would cause. To salvage the match, the Burkinabé federation dispatched its under-23 team via charter flight instead. The replacement squad arrived in Argentina just five hours before kickoff, giving them barely time to complete bureaucratic procedures, check into their hotel, and travel to the Monumental stadium. The total journey took just under 12 hours.

Matías Soulé could make his Argentina debut in a friendly against Burkina Faso on the night of 3 October, after remaining on the bench for the 4–0 win over Bolivia despite praise from coach Scaloni in the build-up. The Burkina Faso side is expected to arrive in Argentina only hours before the match at the Monumental in Buenos Aires, despite logistical difficulties. Soulé, wearing number 18 for Roma, may start alongside Enzo Fernández and Medina after watching from the sidelines at Córdoba. Leonardo Balerdi, the third Roma player in the Argentina squad, was the only one to feature in the Bolivia match on Thursday 1 October and is now pushing to challenge Martínez for a defensive spot. Santiago Castro is also pressing for a first-team opportunity but faces competition from Julián Álvarez and Lautaro Martínez in the forward line. ESPN Argentina reported on Soulé's prospects, while Olé covered Balerdi's claims on the defence.

Matías Soulé and Santiago Castro made their official Argentina debuts in a 7–0 victory over Burkina Faso, with Leonardo Balerdi also featuring for the Albiceleste. All three Roma players came off the bench in the second half: Soulé and Balerdi were substituted on at the 46th minute when Argentina already led 5–0, while Castro replaced Lautaro Martínez at the 69th minute. The goals came from Lautaro Martínez (two), Prestianni, Nico Paz, Julián Álvarez, Mastantuono and Giuliano Simeone. For Castro, the Roma number 9, the appearance held particular significance as his first senior international cap. He marked the occasion with a post on Instagram celebrating the milestone, writing: "There are moments that stay with you forever, and today I had the chance to live one. Wearing this shirt for the first time and representing my country is a pride difficult to explain. Thank you to everyone who accompanied me on this journey. As a child I dreamed of this moment, and today I can say it came true. An unforgettable day. May it be the first of many." For Soulé, the appearance was equally momentous—a first senior call-up and debut for Argentina after joining Roma in summer 2024. Balerdi, who arrived at the club in the same window, continues to develop his international presence alongside his club commitments.

Argentina defeated Burkina Faso 7–0 in a friendly on 4 October, with Santiago Castro and Matías Soulé both making their national team debuts. Castro entered the pitch at 69 minutes in place of Lautaro Martinez, while Soulé, the 2003-born winger and former Juventus player, came on at half-time. Leonardo Balerdi also featured, coming on between the first and second halves. No Roma players scored in the match. Argentina's goals came from Lautaro Martinez, Prestianni, Nico Paz, Julián Álvarez, Mastantuono, and Giuliano Simeone, with an own goal completing the tally. Burkina Faso fielded an under-23 side. The fixture was marked by extraordinary circumstances. A scheduled flight from Morocco carrying Burkina Faso's full squad was cancelled due to an aircraft malfunction, leaving the players unwilling to make the journey given the exhaustion it would cause. To salvage the match, the Burkinabé federation dispatched its under-23 team via charter flight instead. The replacement squad arrived in Argentina just five hours before kickoff, giving them barely time to complete bureaucratic procedures, check into their hotel, and travel to the Monumental stadium. The total journey took just under 12 hours.

Marco Materazzi, the former Inter player and 2006 World Cup winner with Italy, has publicly backed Gianluca Mancini as the best defender in Serie A. Speaking at the Trento Festival to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Materazzi demonstrated his affection for the Roma defender, whom he has long been an idol to — Mancini wears the number 23 both for Roma and for Italy in tribute. Mancini is no stranger to Materazzi's admiration. When asked to rank Serie A's top defenders, Materazzi named Mancini ahead of Bisseck, Rrahmani, Akanji, Chalobah, Pavlovic, Balerdi, Ramón, Solet, Gila, Hermoso and Alaba. For Balerdi he noted: "You know he's a fan of mine and I'm his idol, so Mancini." On Gila he said: "I can't vote for a Milanista." When it came to Inter players, however, Materazzi's heart took over. Asked to choose between Mancini and John Stones, he replied: "Stones, he's Inter." The English defender prevailed over Scalvini and Bremer, but ultimately finished behind Alessandro Bastoni in Materazzi's final ranking.