Valentino Acuña
Personal information
Full name Valentino Andrés Acuña[1]
Date of birth (2006-01-27) 27 January 2006
Place of birth Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina[2]
Height 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)[1]
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Newell's Old Boys
Youth career
2009 Bancaria
2010– Newell's Old Boys
International career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2023– Argentina U17 12 (2)

Valentino Andrés Acuña (born 27 January 2006) is an Argentine footballer currently playing as a midfielder for Newell's Old Boys.

Club career

Born in Rosario in the Santa Fe Province of Argentina, Acuña began his footballing career at the age of three with local side Bancaria.[3][4] He joined the academy of professional side Newell's Old Boys in 2010, scoring a hat-trick on his youth debut against Brazilian side Botafogo.[5] He signed his first professional contract with the club in December 2022, penning a three-year deal.[6]

International career

Having represented the Argentina under-17 side at the 2023 South American U-17 Championship, where he scored one goal - in a 1–0 win over Bolivia - he was called up to the squad again for the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup.[7] In Argentina's second game of the tournament, he scored as his side went on to beat Japan 3–1.[8][9]

Personal life

In 2014, film director Álex de la Iglesia watched clips of Acuña play on video sharing platform YouTube, and chose to cast him as the body-double of a young Lionel Messi in the biopic film Messi, based on the life of the Argentine international footballer.[3][4]

References

  1. 1 2 "FIFA U-17 World Cup Indonesia 2023™" (PDF). fdp.fifa.org. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  2. ↑ Valentino Acuña at WorldFootball.net
  3. 1 2 Ruiz, David (19 January 2016). "Valentino Acuña, el 'otro Messi' que descubrió Álex de la Iglesia" [Valentino Acuña, the 'other Messi' that Álex de la Iglesia discovered]. elconfidencial.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  4. 1 2 "Quién es Valentino Acuña, el doble de Messi en un documental que jugará el Mundial Sub-17 con la Selección Argentina" [Who is Valentino Acuña, Messi's double in a documentary that will play in the U-17 World Cup with the Argentine National Team]. tycsports.com (in Spanish). 11 November 2023. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  5. ↑ "De ser doble de Messi en una película a figura de la Selección Sub 17: la historia de Valentino Acuña" [From being Messi's double in a film to a member of the Under 17 National Team: the story of Valentino Acuña]. funeshoy.com.ar (in Spanish). 5 April 2023. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  6. ↑ "La Lepra asegura juveniles mientras espera a los refuerzos" [La Lepra secures youth while waiting for reinforcements]. rosarioplus.com (in Spanish). 7 December 2022. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  7. ↑ "Quién es Valentino Acuña, el "doble" de Lionel Messi que la rompe en la Selección Argentina sub17" [Who is Valentino Acuña, the “double” of Lionel Messi who breaks it in the Argentine U17 National Team]. radiomitre.cienradios.com (in Spanish). 13 April 2023. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  8. ↑ Paulich, Diego (13 November 2023). "De ser el doble de Messi a pieza clave en el primer triunfo de la Sub 17" [From being Messi's double to a key piece in the first victory of the Sub 17]. ole.com.ar (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  9. ↑ "Valentino Acuña, el jugador que fue doble de Lionel Messi en una película y marcó un gol clave con la Sub 17" [Valentino Acuña, the player who was Lionel Messi's double in a film and scored a key goal with the Sub 17]. tn.com.ar (in Spanish). 14 November 2023. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
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