A new era has begun at Real Madrid, and with it, the players who have just arrived at Chamartín are making their mark. Following the signings of Trent, Huijsen, and Carreras, Franco Mastantuono, an Argentine midfielder who has just come of age, has joined the team. The new gem arrives to strengthen the midfield and attack, as he is a versatile player who can also adapt to different positions on the field, such as the right wing, where he has played a lot this past season with River.
On the day he turned 18, he was presented as a new Real Madrid player. It is a privilege that not many footballers can boast. For more than ten years, since Ángel Di María left for Manchester United, Real Madrid had not had an Argentine player in its ranks. Now, eleven years later, the club has secured the services of a gem who is held in high esteem by the entire Argentine football world: Franco Mastantuono.
Xabi Alonso’s call was decisive in his decision to join Real Madrid, when it seemed that he would end up at PSG. The Madrid club moved quickly, and with the help of Juni Calafat and, of course, Santiago Solari, who recommended the signing to the club, Madrid secured one of the most promising players in world football.
Registered as a Castilla player with the number 30
Mastantuono will wear the number 30 shirt at Real Madrid, for now. The player signed his contract alongside Florentino Pérez at the presentation ceremony in Valdebebas, and then showed off the shirt he will be wearing. He will wear the number 30, the same number he wore at River, but this is provisional because he will initially be registered with Castilla. This allows for possible departures and, therefore, signings, and means he can wear a lower number, with more marketing potential. If this is not the case, he is likely to end up playing with the number 25, the last option available at Real Madrid.
He could, however, play with the number 30 as a player registered with the Real Madrid reserve team, even if he plays more than ten games with Castilla, because he is under 23 years of age. This also helps the club to be considered a UEFA youth player, because even if he does not play any minutes with the reserve team, he already counts towards the three years required by UEFA. The rule changes next year, as Mastantuono will have to play with a number between 1 and 25 in the 2026/27 season.