The athlete to watch | Why Mastantuono is the Galactico Real Madrid is betting everything on

Real Madrid has decided it's time to dust off its wallet this summer . After a season in which three major titles have slipped away, the Whites have come to the conclusion that they need reinforcements in key positions to allow the team to return to winning ways. For now, Dean Huijsen and Trent Alexander-Arnold have already arrived , but they won't be the only ones: in fact, there's a midfielder who is on the way to signing in the coming days.

In recent years, Europe's biggest clubs have set their sights on South America . Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Chile are brimming with talent, which means that every time a young star makes an appearance in their respective leagues, the world's top clubs begin to closely monitor those players. And the latest is a 17-year-old pure talent whose days at River Plate are numbered.

You only have to see him touch the ball to realize that Franco Mastantuono is not just another footballer . Talent, self-confidence, imagination and quality in abundance make him one of those footballers who put imagination to the benefit of the spectacle: plasticity and beauty in search of the goal that have earned him the title of youngest footballer in history to debut for Argentina in an official match, at just 17 years and 295 days .

Born in 2007 in Buenos Aires, he was passionate about sports from a very young age. So much so that he couldn't imagine his free time without physical exercise. The ball was one of his inseparable friends , but he also had a racquet. So, when he wasn't playing soccer, tennis filled his spare time. So much so that young Mastantuono began to demonstrate great skill in both sports, displaying a talent rarely seen in both areas.

He was 10 years old when he attended the River Plate Academy for a tryout. The coaches were so taken with the lanky, left-footed youngster who dribbles the ball with his head held high that they offered him a chance to join the team. But the youngster decided to decline: the reason? He dreamed of becoming a professional tennis player . So, he continued to combine his two great hobbies until, two years later, he changed his mind.

At 12, he tried out for River again, at which point He decided to accept the offer on the table and put his racket away . From then on, his innate talent for overcoming lines, with unique control of the ball and impressive abilities to dismantle any defense that stood in his way, made him one of the jewels of the millionaire youth academy . Mastantuono quickly made his way to the first team.

After leading River Plate's youth team to league titles , he made his first-team debut on January 28, 2024, in a match against Argentinos Juniors, becoming the third-youngest player to wear the River Plate shirt. Just ten days later, he became the youngest player in history to score a goal for River Plate. Since then, he has been a regular presence in the first team, with whom he has already played ten matches .

Almost from that moment on, Real Madrid sent emissaries to see Mastantuono's game up close, and they were quickly captivated. For that reason, he's been chosen as the team's new galactico, the playmaker the club yearns for, ahead of players like Florian Wirtz, Angelo Stiller, Nicolò Barella, and even Nico Paz . He'll be in charge of setting the pace for a team that urgently needed magic in midfield.

His departure from River Plate was obvious, and PSG was pointed as a destination... until, once again, Juni Calafat appeared in the mix . The Madrid emissary was in charge of securing other players like Vinícius, Rodrygo, and Endrick , and now, Mastantuono will be the new young star of the Los Blancos. It's the Argentine's chance to succeed in Los Blancos: he'll play at the Bernabéu for 45 million euros ; the only thing left to decide is when he'll join the Real Madrid team.