The 17-year-old has already cemented his place in River Plate's history and is now bound for the Bernabeu following the Club World Cup
Here they are again. Real Madrid, signing another young South American talent. Los Blancos have sneakily changed their transfer policy in recent years, largely 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 is their latest raid into the continent. The 17-year-old attacking midfielder has made waves for River Plate over the last couple of seasons, becoming the storied club's youngest goal-scorer 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 latest teenage acquisition…
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 Under-17 side as a 15-year-old.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesThe 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 Man City midfielder Claudio Echeverri, he consistently played above his age group.
In August 2023, Mastantuono signed a two-year contract with River, complete with a $45 million (£39.5m) 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.
AFPHow it's going
Since then, Mastantuono has only improved. His first senior goal, a sweet volley to seal a win over Excursionistas in the Copa Argentina in February 2024, made him the club's youngest-ever goal-scorer, surpassing a mark then held by Javier Saviola.
Despite that initial promise, a puzzling few months followed for the attacking midfielder. Demichelis was at first reluctant to throw Mastantuono consistently into contests, leading to outrage from local fans as River struggled for form and consistency in Argentina's top-flight. Ultimately, they finished the 2024 season fifth in the standings and Demichelis was shown the door, replaced by club legend Marcelo Gallardo, while Mastantuono was handed another new contract tying him until 2026.
The 2025 season has been much kinder to the teenage, who has worked his way into the starting line up and lived up to the hype. He nearly broke the internet with a wicked Paul Gascoigne-esque free-kick against rivals Boca Juniors in a 2-1 victory back in April, and that was swiftly followed by a first call-up to the Argentina senior team. While with the world champions, he became the men's team's youngest-ever player in a competitive match when he replaced Thiago Almada in a 1-0 victory at Chile.
This summer, the sweepstakes to sign Mastantuono intensified. Newly-crowned European champions Paris Saint-Germain thought they had him, but you can never count out Madrid until a player signs on the dotted line, and it has now been confirmed that he will head to the capital of Spain rather than France in a €40m (£34m/$45m) deal.
Biggest strengths
Mastantuono's talent is undeniable. It leaps off the screen. 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. If he consistently adds free-kicks like his Superclasico strike to his arsenal in the long run, there may be no way of stopping him in the final third.
