This summer, a 16-year-old is warning the football world.
He is quick, intelligent, skilled and could have a long career with one of the Spanish giants. This left-footed attacker seems at home in the professional game and has a great shot from long range.
There must have been something in the air in the summer of 2007, because if you were assuming the above refers to Lamine Yamal, you’d be wrong – although it does sound a lot like him. Instead, we’re talking about Franco Mastantuono, who has put some of Europe’s biggest clubs, most notably Real Madrid, on notice with some stunning performances for River Plate.
Mastantuono, born a month and a day after Yamal, is the most exciting talent in Argentina. The most scandalous demonstration of his quality came last weekend when River were awarded a free kick in the 87th minute with the score at 0-0.
(Alejandro Pagni/AFP via Getty Images)
Mastantuono started the match against Sarmiento and was kept on the pitch in the final minutes, even outlasting more experienced players in his position, including former Argentina international and West Ham United playmaker Manuel Lanzini.
With three minutes left in regulation time, Mastantuono stepped up from 25 yards and fired his shot over the wall into the top left corner of Sarmiento keeper Lucas Acosta’s net. It was a sign of his talent and assured those in the know that if the world hadn’t heard of him yet, his reputation would soon rise.
16-year-old Franco Mastantuono’s first goal in Argentina’s LPF for River Plate is INCREDIBLE 😱 photo.twitter.com/WYREk0g9dh
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) July 29, 2024
Madrid appear to be in pole position in the race for his signature. The Champions League and La Liga holders are very interested in Mastantuono, but a potential deal could be complicated by his age and lack of experience. River Plate understandably want to keep a player of his quality for as long as possible, and his team do not want him to leave Buenos Aires. Mastantuono has only recently begun to establish himself as a regular in the starting lineup.
With exceptional talents such as Jude Bellingham, Arda Guler, Rodrygo, Vinicius Junior And With incoming duo Endrick and Kylian Mbappe in similar positions – and all 25 or younger – the path to immediate first-team football at Madrid does not appear to be as straightforward as it was at El Monumental under Martin Demichelis.
However, Mastantuono has a release clause in his contract worth around €45 million (£39 million, $49 million), which could rise to €50 million in the final days of the transfer window. He is eligible for an Italian passport through his grandmother, meaning he could play anywhere in Europe. Madrid could also sign him before he turns 18. This would potentially open the door to an Endrick-style deal, where he signs for the Santiago Bernabeu now but stays at River for at least another year. Not only would this arrangement ease Madrid’s congestion problem in attack, although there are indications that they are investing in all their young attacking talent, it would also allow Mastantuono to continue developing in Argentina.
Mastantuono is coached by former City defender Demichelis (right) (Marcelo Endelli/Getty Images)
While Mastantuono, the “jewel” of Argentine football, is undoubtedly an exceptional talent, he is both very young and inexperienced. He has made just 16 first-team appearances, so there is a remarkably small sample size to go on – even compared to Yamal, who played in all but one of Barcelona’s La Liga games last season before starring for Spain in their Euro 2024 triumph this summer. For comparison, Mastantuono has played for Argentina’s under-17 and under-19 teams over the past year. He was on the losing side in a 1-0 defeat to USA Under-19s in June, around a week before Yamal started in Spain’s opening Euro 2024 victory over Croatia.
If he continues to progress at this rate, the fast track through Argentina’s under-21 and senior programmes seems inevitable. But despite looking like a seasoned veteran on the pitch, he is little more than a prospect at this point. With that in mind, Madrid would be taking a risk by matching his transfer fee and making him the most expensive player ever signed outright from Argentina.
That comfort on the ball — the sense that he always has space and time to decide his next move — is the most obvious comparison to Yamal. While Mastantuono was also considered a tennis prodigy growing up — he turned down trials at River at 10 to develop his on-court skills — there’s nothing individual about the way he plays.
(Daniel Jayo/Getty Images)
He is 180cm tall, has broad shoulders and a solid upper body and although he wears number 30 like a young Lionel Messi (at the start of his career at Barcelona) and broke Javier Saviola’s record in early February to become River’s youngest goalscorer, there is little in common between him and his diminutive compatriots. Like Yamal, Mastantuono is a sturdy, long-legged technician with a rocket shot – but his future may lie in the centre of the pitch rather than the right.
River have built an impressive reputation for producing this type of player in recent years. Claudio Echeverri will join former youth player Julian Alvarez at Manchester City in January. While Alvarez, who won two Copa America and the World Cup at the age of 24, in addition to club honours such as the Premier League and Champions League, has already won enough to last a career, there is optimism that Mastantuono could be the best of the bunch.
If Madrid get their man, it will be the start of what could be a glittering career at the pinnacle of the European game. But with world-class players in his position at club and international level, the competition for minutes ahead of his superstar team-mates will be just as tough as any challenge he faces when he actually steps onto the pitch.
(Top photo: Marcelo Endelli/Getty Images)
