Franco Mastantuono: The 16-year-old Argentinian wonderkid with transfer interest from Real Madrid

This summer, there’s a 16-year-old putting the football world on notice.

He’s quick, intelligent, skilful and could be set for a long career at one of Spain’s giants. This left-footed attacker looks at home in the professional game and has a wicked long-distance shot.

There must have been something in the air during the summer of 2007, because if you assumed the above refers to Lamine Yamal, you’d be wrong — though it sounds a lot like him. Instead, we are talking about Franco Mastantuono, who has alerted some of Europe’s biggest clubs, chiefly Real Madrid, with sparkling displays for River Plate.

Born one month and one day after Yamal, Mastantuono is the most exciting talent in Argentina. The most outrageous demonstration of his quality came last weekend when River were awarded a free kick in the 87th minute, with the score at 0-0.

Mastantuono started the game against Sarmiento and was kept on the pitch in the dying embers. He even stayed on ahead of more experienced players in his position, including former Argentina international and West Ham United playmaker Manuel Lanzini.

With three minutes of normal time left, Mastantuono stepped up from 25 yards out and whipped his shot over the wall, into the top left-hand corner of Sarmiento goalkeeper Lucas Acosta’s goal. It was an indication of his talent and assured those in the know that if the world hadn’t heard of him yet, his reputation would rise rapidly.

16-year-old Franco Mastantuono’s first Argentina LPF goal for River Plate is INCREDIBLE 😱 pic.twitter.com/WYREk0g9dh

— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) July 29, 2024

In the race for his signature, Madrid appear to be in pole position. 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 are understandably keen to retain a player of his quality for as long as possible, and his camp is not desperate for him to leave Buenos Aires. Mastantuono has only recently begun to establish himself as a regular in the starting lineup.

With outstanding talents such as Jude Bellingham, Arda Guler, Rodrygo, Vinicius Junior and the incoming duo of Endrick and Kylian Mbappe in similar positions — and them all being 25 or under — the pathway to immediate first-team football does not appear as straightforward at Madrid as it does at El Monumental under Martin Demichelis.

However, Mastantuono has a release clause in his contract of around €45 million (£39m, $49m), which increases to €50m in the final days of the window. He is eligible for an Italian passport through his grandmother — meaning he can play across Europe. Madrid would also be able to sign him before he turns 18. This could potentially open the door for an Endrick-like deal, where he signs for the Santiago Bernabeu club now but remains at River for at least another year. This arrangement would not just ease the congestion issues in Madrid’s attack — though indications suggest they are invested in all of their young attacking talents. It would also allow Mastantuono to continue developing in Argentina.

While Mastantuono, dubbed the “pearl” of Argentinian football, is undoubtedly an exceptional talent, he is both very young and inexperienced. He has made just 16 senior appearances, so there is a remarkably small sample size to judge from — even compared with Yamal, who played in all but one of Barcelona’s La Liga matches last season before starring for Spain in their European Championship victory this summer. For context, Mastantuono has played for Argentina’s under-17s and under-19s in the past year. He was on the losing side in a 1-0 defeat to U.S. Under-19s in June, around a week before Yamal started in Spain’s opening Euro 2024 win over Croatia.

If he continues at this rapid rate of progression, the fast track through Argentina’s under-21 and senior programmes seems inevitable. However, despite appearing as if he was a seasoned veteran on the pitch, he is little more than a prospect at this stage. With that in mind, Madrid would be taking a risk in matching his release clause and making him the most expensive player ever bought directly from Argentina.

That comfort on the ball — the feeling that he always has space and time to decide his next action — is the most evident comparison to Yamal. Though Mastantuono was also considered a tennis prodigy growing up — he turned down trials at River at age 10 to develop on the court — there is nothing individual about how he plays.

He is 5ft 11in (180cm) with broad shoulders and a solid upper body, and while he wears No 30 like a young Lionel Messi (at the beginning of his Barcelona career) and broke Javier Saviola’s record in early February to become River’s youngest goalscorer, there are few similarities between him and his diminutive compatriots. Like Yamal, Mastantuono is a sturdy technician with rangy legs and a rocket shot — but his future may lie in the centre of the pitch rather than wide right.

River have developed an impressive reputation in recent years for producing this type of player. Claudio Echeverri is set to join former academy product Julian Alvarez at Manchester City in January. While Alvarez, a two-time Copa America and World Cup winner at 24 to go alongside club honours including the Premier League and Champions League, has already won enough for a whole career, there is optimism that Mastantuono could be the best of the lot.

If Madrid get their man, it signals the start of what could be a sparkling career at the height 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 as stern as any challenge he will face when he actually steps onto the pitch.

(Top photo: Marcelo Endelli/Getty Images)