1 day ago
1
For River Plate
©IMAGO
SEATTLE -- The game between River Plate and Urawa Red Diamonds was just 12 minutes old when Facundo Colido (12’) opened the scoring for the Argentine side. Naturally, future Real Madrid signing Franco Mastantuono was involved. The 17-year-old sprung loose, Marcos Acuña and his cross found Colido for the opener in front of 11,974 spectators at Lumen Field. In that moment, the teenager once again highlighted why Real Madrid were willing to pay €45 million to secure the winger once he turns 18 on August 14.
In recent years, Real Madrid have focused their transfer strategy on signing teenagers for significant fees and then turning them into world stars. It is a strategy that has worked for the likes of Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo. Mastantuono’s €45m transfer fee makes him the second most expensive teenager to join Los Blancos, alongside Vinicius (from Flamengo) and Rodrygo (Santos). Only Endrick, who was signed for €47.5m plus bonuses from Palmeiras, was more expensive.
As the graphic above highlights, Real Madrid have spent €454m on players aged 20 or below since 2010. In that category, Mastantuono ranks fourth as only Jude Bellingham (from Dortmund) and Dean Huijsen (Bournemouth) rank ahead among the army of teenagers signed by Real in the last 15 years. Overall, Real’s strategy on the market has been successful, as the club has won six Champions League titles during that period.
Mastantuono – How will he fit in at Real Madrid
The additions of Mastantuono and Huijsen mark the start of the next wave of young talent joining Real Madrid. And the Argentine wonderkid could play an important role going forward. Capable of playing both on the right wing and in midfield, Mastantuono is a dynamic player who could replace Rodrygo should the Brazilian opt to leave the club or serve as a valuable backup to Bellingham. Before joining Real, however, Mastantuono will collect valuable experience at the FIFA Club World Cup with River Plate.
How important is it for River to still have Mastantuono for the tournament? "He has to think about playing and nothing else," River Plate head coach Marcelo Gallardo said after the Urawa Red Diamonds game. "He is here, and he should just be playing and making the most out of the experience." What about his involvement in his first goal? "He is so very good going from right to left," Gallardo said. "You've got to say, the opponents really marked him well, but even then, he still found the space to make a difference. It was a great move."
Even though it was against relative underdogs Urawa Red, judging from his first game, Mastantuono certainly wants to make an impact in the United States. The teenager was instrumental in River's 3-1 win over Urawa Red Diamonds. Mastantuono not only helped create the opener but also completed 90% of his passes, had 48 touches, and won 57% of his tackles. It could have been even more, as in the 79th minute, he saw a header go just wide of the goal.
