Mastantuono, the talented young Argentine star who was hailed as the "successor of Messi" by the outside world, gradually returned to his original form after joining Real Madrid this summer.

Mastantuono, the talented Argentine star who was hailed as the "successor of Messi" by the outside world, gradually returned to his original form after joining Real Madrid this summer. Due to his mediocre performance, he has now become a controversial figure in Real Madrid's recruitment operations.

In the summer of 2025, Real Madrid brought the 18-year-old River Plate player to the Bernabeu for a transfer fee of 45 million euros. However, after several rounds of La Liga games, people discovered that his on-field performance was seriously inconsistent with his high price.

According to the Spanish media "Marca", Mastantono received far more resources than expected after joining Real Madrid. At the beginning, coach Alonso paid special attention to him, allowing him to quickly assume the main position of Real Madrid. He started 7 times in the first 13 La Liga games this season. However, he completely failed Alonso's trust and was always in mediocre form and unable to perform convincingly.

Data doesn’t lie. In a total of 689 minutes of participation, Mastantono only handed over a report card of 1 goal and 0 assists. Not only was his personal condition sluggish, but he was also completely out of touch with Real Madrid's tactical system. As a young player who switched from the Argentinian league to a European giant, he failed to quickly adapt to the high-intensity confrontation and fast-paced play of La Liga. His performance on the field was mediocre, and he did not show the slightest potential as a "Messi successor".

To make matters worse, Mastantuono, like Barcelona star Yamal, has unfortunately suffered from osteitis pubis recently. This kind of injury not only requires long-term recovery, but may also affect the player's mentality. In the face of doubts, although the Argentine striker responded with "still in the adaptation period" and "not yet at his peak", he could not conceal the fact that his personal abilities did not match Real Madrid's main position.

For Real Madrid, they need a talented star who is "ready to fight", rather than a parallel import like Mastantuono who has been unable to find his form. Therefore, Real Madrid obviously cannot tolerate the core position being occupied by Mastantuono who is in such a sluggish state. Although Mastantono has some enthusiasm, his strength and potential obviously cannot meet expectations. At present, Alonso's excessive trust in him has caused doubts from the outside world. Now, Mastantuono has suffered another injury. It seems that his future in Real Madrid is worrying. Under pressure from the outside world, it is not ruled out that Alonso will gradually neglect him.

The investment of 45 million euros cannot be exchanged for expected on-field performance. Mastantuono's signing case has highlighted Real Madrid's obvious mistakes in signing evaluation. It is difficult to predict whether this "Messi's successor" can escape the predicament, but judging from the current situation alone, Real Madrid's signing is a failure and it is obviously a mistake.