In their recent acquisition of Franco Mastantuono, an 18 year old Argentine midfielder, Real Madrid has shot up the headlines as the young lad made a splash in his first moments in his new club, especially in his statement at his unveiling. Officially, he signed on his 18 th birthday in Madrid, but Mastantuono described his idol in glowing terms, saying he was Lionel Messi, who “Has always been the best player alive”, fulfilling an impressive assessment considering that Messi was and remains Real Madrid lifetime foe.
Franco Mastantuono’s career
The son of a football legend, Mastantuono is already history when he became the most expensive recruit of his club after moving to Real with a deal worth of 63.2 million euros, becoming the first Argentine signing, since the departure of Angel Di Maria, in 2014. Expectations are sky high with a resume that includes just over 64 appearances, 10 goals and 7 assists at River Plate and also the honour of being the youngest ever competitive match player, in the history of Argentina.
‘To me it’s always Messi’
He also felt both national pride and pride of humility at his press conference, ‘It is Messi to me. I am argentinian” he said, then added again his determination of staying in Real Madrid and was thankful to coach Xabi Alonso who made that fateful call. He also spoke of his dreams when he was a young boy wanting to fit into the tactical play of the club with an eye on a place in the Argentina team in 2026 World Cup.
Jersey number in Real Madrid
Mastantuono will play under the number 30 jersey(the same number he used in River Plate) and will be automatically registered in Castilla so as to maintain a place in the first team list of Real. He joins Real as part of a tide of summer signings which show no sign of any change in the club tradition of spending big on emerging stars. His mix of technical prowess, bravado and relative maturity means that the arrival of Mastantuono could not only give the team a sports surge, but also something to write home about. Will his approval of Messi bring top aimed publicity or liabilities? It remains to be seen but this much is clear, the newest wunderkind in Real Madrid has himself made a score off the pitch already.
Also Read: Joan Garcia Captures His Barcelona shot!
