The 16-year-old recently became the youngest goalscorer in River Plate’s history and now looks bound for the Bernabeu
Here they are again. Real Madrid, after another young South American talent. Los Blancos have sneakily changed their transfer policy in recent years, moving away from the Galactico model of old, instead picking up a glut of young, exciting players from the other side of the world.
And Franco Mastantuono appears to be their latest raid into the continent. The 16-year-old attacking midfielder has starred for River Plate this year, recently becoming their youngest goalscorer in history, and catching the eye with his dribbling and irresistible ball-striking ability.
But who exactly is Mastantuono? Where is he from, where is he going? And is he good enough to strut his stuff in La Liga? GOAL takes a look at Madrid’s presumptive next big South American venture…
Where it all began
In his early days, Mastantuono couldn’t choose a sport. Born 300 kilometres south of Buenos Aires in the thriving town of Azul, Mastantuono was a dual-sport athlete from an early age. Indeed, in his youngest years, he played both tennis and football, equally skilled at both.
In fact, things could have gone so differently. River Plate offered him a spot in their academy at the age of 10, but Mastantuono declined, his family’s desire to have him pursue his goals in tennis serving as the reason for his decision. Instead, he played local club football for a year.
However, in 2019, when River came calling again, Mastantuono couldn’t say no. The midfielder saw his youth career disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic, but quickly found his feet when football reopened in Argentina. He was the top scorer at various youth levels, and earned a call up to River’s U-17 side as a 15-year-old.
Franco Mastantuono Debut River Argentinos Copa Liga Profesional 28012024Getty Images
The big break
Mastantuono was very much a known commodity from the outset of his academy days, touted early on as one of the most talented players to come through the system in some time. Riding the same hype train as soon-to-be Man City midfielder Claudio Echeverri, the attacking midfielder consistently played above his age group.
In August 2023, Mastantuono signed a two-year contract with River, complete with a €45 million (£39m/$49m) release clause – which, at the time, was shockingly high for a player of just 16 years of age that had yet to make a first-team appearance.
But he was soon rewarded. Manager Martin Demichelis called Mastantuono up to train with the senior side soon after, and worked the youngster into their pre-season preparations. He debuted against Liga MX side Monterrey and also appeared against Pachuca. January 2024 brought his official debut, Mastantuono coming on in the second half of a cup game against Argentinos Juniors.
How it’s going
Since then, Mastantuono has only improved. He found the net for the first time as a professional in February: a sweet volley to seal a win over Excursionistas in the Copa Argentina. That made him the club’s youngest-ever goalscorer, surpassing a mark then held by Javier Saviola.
Still, it’s been a puzzling few months for the attacking midfielder. Despite his undeniable talent, Demichelis has been reluctant to throw his promising youngster consistently into contests, leading to outrage from local fans as River have struggled for form and consistency in Argentina’s top flight.
He has made just two starts in the last four months, feeding instead off brief cameos and exciting flashes from the bench. Tellingly, he was left out as River lost to arch rivals Boca Juniors in a cup game on April 21.
Biggest strengths
His absences have been strange, not least because of Mastantuono’s undeniable talent. He is dazzling on the ball, capable of coming off the right wing and cutting onto his left foot to great effect.
He is an adept dribbler with quick feet who can sense tiny spaces and acute angles for a killer pass, serving as a real creative threat – especially against teams that like to sit deep.
And when opponents stand off, he can cause all sorts of problems, particularly as his ball-striking ability – especially from long range – is outstanding.
Room for improvement
Mastantuono is obviously a player of enormous potential but remains rather one-dimensional in his game. He is arguably too eager to cut onto his left foot, and isn’t nearly as comfortable on his right. That has made him predictable on occasion, with opponents more than happy to simply show him onto his weaker side.
Like many youngsters, he could also do with bulking up a bit. Although Mastantuono is just under six feet, he’s not much of an imposing figure, and can get bullied when the ball is in the air. That might not be too much of a problem while playing for a possession-heavy team in La Liga, but it would certainly help round out his game if he became more of a physical presence.
The next… Phil Foden?
There are a few reference points here. In many ways, Mastantuono resembles a younger Dominik Szoboszlai, such is his ability to charge into space, cut onto a stronger foot, and have a crack at goal. There is the obvious caveat that Mastantuono is left-footed, though. Plus, the Liverpool man is far more of a two-way player than the young Argentine.
Perhaps a more apt comparison – and certainly a lofty goal to hit – is Phil Foden. The two share the same shifty ability on the ball, and footballing IQ to make things happen in tight areas. There are also undeniable parallels in their shooting form. And although Mastantuono has claimed that his childhood idols all came through Argentine football, his resemblance to Foden is striking.
What comes next?
For now, it would seem that Mastantuono simply needs to get more game time for his club. River have a narrow lead atop the Argentine league, and haven’t quite been their usual selves in front of goal. Mastantuono could be the man to make the difference there – if trusted by his manager.
But he won’t be in South America for long. All of the talk suggests that Mastantuono is on the verge of signing for Madrid, famed scout Juni Calafat already in discussions with both the club and the player himself.
Others have been linked, but Madrid don’t tend to miss with their youth targets – especially when they’re this good. Mastantuono undoubtedly has to develop, but it would be of little surprise to see him strut his stuff among Los Blancos’ new wave of Galacticos.