Franco Mastantuono has been officially presented as a Real Madrid player. On June 13, the club beat Paris Saint-Germain to sign him. The Merengues finalized his transfer after paying more than €63 million. This amount includes the €45 million release clause to River Plate and the corresponding taxes. The player was offered a six-year contract with a net salary of €3.5 million per season. All that remained was to present him. As he was not yet of legal age, the right winger was unable to train with the first team. FIFA regulations stipulate that non-EU players under the age of 18 must wait until they turn 18 before they can sign and train with a European club.
Although he was unable to meet his teammates, Xabi Alonso had already mapped out a precise roadmap for him. The striker arrived in Madrid on August 3 and had to follow an individual program, created specifically to help him adapt before working with the group. A training plan has been designed by the Madrid coaching staff. The Tolosa native believes that the left-footed player could be key from the start. His versatility allows him to cover different attacking positions: he could be a temporary replacement for Jude Bellingham while the Englishman recovers from injury, play as a right winger in place of Rodrygo Goes, or complement Arda Güler in building up play. He stands out for his maturity, as well as his speed, creativity, and elegance. His first training session will take place this Friday, August 15, at 10:30 a.m. (peninsular time), and he is scheduled to make his debut on August 19 at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium at 9:00 p.m. against Osasuna in La Liga.
This is how Franco Mastantuono was presented
This Thursday, August 14, the wait is finally over. Franco Mastantuono blows out 18 candles on the most important day of his life. The Millonario idol has already posed in his new colors. His day began with the famous medical examination at the Blua Sanitas Valdebebas Hospital. After completing it, Mastantuono changed out of his training gear and into a suit and signed his contract at the Merengue offices. At around 1:00 p.m. (peninsular time), the Argentine was officially presented by Florentino Pérez in the Ciudad Deportiva pavilion.
The Real Madrid president welcomed him with a speech full of ambition, and Franco Mastantuono then took to the stage to give his first words as a Real Madrid player: “Dear President, thank you very much. This is a very special day for me. I am fulfilling a dream. I am joining the biggest club in the world. I am very happy. It will be a day I will remember for the rest of my life. I am grateful to my family. I love them very much. I am proud that they can be here with me. The same goes for my friends and colleagues. Without you, none of this would have been possible. Thank you to the people of Argentina, who have shown me the way. They have taught me values that have guided me since I was a child. I will give my life for this shirt. It’s what I’ve always wanted. I would like to thank Juni Calafat, the president, and Xabi Alonso for the trust they have placed in me. I felt very comfortable. I will be just another fan on the pitch. I hope to win major titles with this club. Hala Madrid!”
What number will Mastantuono wear at Real Madrid?
Franco Mastantuno will wear a Castilla number and not a first-team number. Although ‘25’ is available, Real Madrid decided to give him Gonzalo García’s ‘30’. He wanted ‘10’, but Kylian Mbappé beat him to it. “It’s his right,” joked the Argentine. So why give him a reserve team number?
Because, in reality, he can still wear it without LaLiga vetoing it. As reported exclusively by Nokai on X (formerly Twitter), as he is under 23, Franco can wear a reserve team number and play more than ten league games in the white shirt. However, for the 2026-27 season, he will have to change his number to one between ‘1’ and ‘25’.