Franco Mastantuono: River Plate’s freshest gem
River Plate are among the biggest and most successful clubs in South America, so they have unsurprisingly seen a good few world-beating talents come through their academy. That production somewhat dried up in the 2010s but is back in full swing now, with Franco Mastantuono set to join a growing list of graduates to seal a move straight to some of Europe’s most elite clubs.
By Neel Shelat
The emergence of a world-class talent at River Plate has almost become an annual occurrence of late. Enzo Fernández and Julián Álvarez starred around the lockdown period and earned moves to UEFA Champions League regulars, and Claudio Echeverri will soon follow suit as his transfer to Manchester City has already been arranged. Next on the list will most likely be Franco Mastantuono, the attacking midfielder who broke into the first team at the age of 16 earlier this year.
Mastantuono was a part of Argentina’s squad for their home Under-17 Men’s World Cup in late 2023 in which Echeverri made his talents known to the world, but the younger creator did not start any matches. He was promoted to River Plate’s first-team squad ahead of the 2024 season nevertheless, and he took his chance with both hands by becoming the club’s youngest-ever scorer in a Copa Argentina match in February.
Mastantuono has gone on to consistently make an impact when called upon by registering three goals and two assists in all competitions so far, including a strike in the Copa Libertadores and a memorable late winner in Martín Demichelis’s last match in charge of the club. In the process, he has cemented his status as the next big thing to come out of Buenos Aires.
Mastantuono’s profile
Given their ages and similar positions, it is tempting to compare Mastantuono and Echeverri. The two are quite different players, though, not least due to their opposite-footedness and consequent tendencies to drift out to either side. Echeverri is much more of a high-octane ball carrier who thrives at speed, whereas Mastantuono is much closer to an old-school number 10 or Enganche, as they say in Argentina.
Demichelis certainly seemed to recognise this as he gave the teenage playmaker a great deal of positional freedom in a 4-3-1-2 formation. Mastantuono used this to regularly drop back and help progress the ball with his sharp link-up passing and carrying or drift wide and cut inside, showcasing his skilful dribbling.
Even at such a young age, Mastantuono is exceptional technically and stands out on the ball no matter what pitch he is on. He likes to take lots of quick touches with his left foot – which he favours quite heavily – and can jink past defenders with ease and even wriggle out of tight spaces, using his lean frame well to slip past opponents. Of course, he will still grow physically and become tougher to muscle off the ball, so his already outstanding numbers could get even better yet!
We said Mastantuono resembled a typical Enganche, so his standout quality obviously is his chance creation. The Argentine teenager has always shown brilliant spatial understanding, genius vision and perfect weight of passing with his left foot, so he can receive the ball between the lines and slip his fellow attackers in behind with through balls or even chipped passes which look quite beautiful when they come off.
Finally, Mastantuono also poses a shooting threat from range. He is a very powerful ball-striker with his left foot and never shies away from letting fly when given a sight of goal, although he could work on his accuracy. He also can be a threatening free-kick taker.
Where should Mastantuono move next?
Inevitably, the big question for an emerging talent of Mastantuono’s calibre always is about their next move. He already was the subject of serious transfer interest from Real Madrid this summer, although a transfer did not materialise in the end. Nevertheless, a move to one of the world’s strongest clubs only seems a matter of time for him.
The 17-year-old playmaker will not be short of suitors, but he must make a careful decision to ensure he continues to succeed in Europe. His profile is a rather unique one in the modern game, so not every club and style of play will suit him well.
Stylistically at least, Real Madrid is the best fit for him as Carlo Ancelotti gives his attackers a great deal of freedom, which is what Mastantuono seemingly needs to shine brightest. However, he will likely not get much game time for Los Blancos ahead of players like Jude Bellingham, Rodrygo and a slightly senior creative midfielder of a very similar profile, Arda Güler.
The two other clubs who appeared to take the most interest in him this summer were Barcelona and Manchester United, but both of them have concerning records with young talents in recent years for different reasons. Manchester City might come knocking at the door after Álvarez’s departure has opened up a spot in their attack, but whether their heavily positional style of play will suit Mastantuono is a big question.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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