Real Madrid signed a South American genius with a lot of money, welcomed Argentina international for the first time in 11 years

Official official announcement: Real Madrid spent 46 million euros to sign Argentine genius Mastantono, and the Bernabeu ushered in a new generation of "blue and white hope"

Real Madrid officially announced that Franco Mastantono, the hot new star in Argentina football, joined the team! The 17-year-old superstar will sign a six-year contract with Real Madrid until he turns 24. After completing the mission of representing River Plate in the Club World Cup, he will officially land at the Bernabeu Stadium on August 15.

From a tennis boy to a green upstart, fate opened a door to the football temple for him. In just one week, the trajectory of life has completely changed. Now, this exciting news has finally settled: this Argentine young player, known as the "Successor of Messi", will become a member of the Real Madrid family.

Although this signing is still in the "future tense" - Mastantono will officially report after completing the Club World Cup journey, he has conquered the hearts of European giants with his strength and dreams. His adult birthday is August 14, when he will open a new chapter as a true professional player.

"I am a left-footed player and loves breakthroughs, quick pushes and mid-range shots." This is what Mastantono defines himself. He is 1.77 meters tall, with delicate skills, good at dribbling and ball control rhythm, and taking free kicks is extremely threatening. Although he mainly plays as a front midfielder, he is also competent for the right winger. Its iconic style of playing is to cut from the wing and complete the attack with personal skills. This style reminds people of the legend of today's football world - Messi.

It is worth mentioning that although Messi once set off a "Barcelona craze" in Argentina, Mastantono has always been a loyal fan of Real Madrid. In addition to playing for the riverbed of his hometown team, his dream is to wear a white jersey. Now, his dream has finally come true.

With an Italian passport, Mastantono will not occupy Real Madrid's precious non-EU spots. However, he always takes pride in being an Argentine. His joining also means that Real Madrid has had an Argentine international in the first team for the first time since Di Maria left the team in 2014, filling a decade-long gap. He also became the 34th player from Argentina in Real Madrid's history, continuing this blue and white love spanning the century.

This transfer was not smooth sailing. According to multiple reports, Paris Saint-Germain is close to signing Mastantono, and the negotiation progress is more than 90%. Qatar's capital operation is low-key and efficient, trying to secretly sign the future star. However, Real Madrid's scouting network around the world quickly captured this trend and launched a Thunder Operation in just seven days - a "snatching people" quietly started.

In fact, Real Madrid's attention to Mastantono has been going on for two years. They tried to introduce the talented teenager back in the past year, but gave up because River Plate soared its liquidated damages from $15 million to $45 million. This year, facing the opportunity that may be missed forever, Real Madrid took decisive action and launched the "top signing mechanism".

scout Juni Carafate and general manager Jose Angel Sanchez went to Buenos Aires to conduct intensive negotiations with the riverbed senior management. In the end, the two sides reached an agreement: the total transfer fee is about 46 million euros, including 40 million euros in basic transfer fee and 6 million euros to cover taxes.

It is worth noting that Riverbed Chairman Jorge Brito and Vice Chairman Ignacio Villaroel have been invited to the Bernabeu to watch the game between Real Madrid and Leganes this season. The good relationship between the two clubs failed to lower prices, but it led to flexible payment methods. In the end, Real Madrid chose to complete the transaction in three-stage installment payment, reflecting respect and sincerity for the partners.

The question of when to join Real Madrid once became the focus of negotiations. There are three options initially: before the Club World Cup (because they have an Italian passport, they can theoretically register at the age of 16, refer to the "Garre Case"); after the Club World Cup;

in January next year.

In the end, both sides confirmed the adoption of the second plan: Mastantono will arrive in Spain on August 15 and officially join the Real Madrid training camp. This day was the second day after he turned 18 years old, and the first day after the Club World Cup ended. He originally hoped to play in the Liberators Cup final with River Plate (November 29) and use it as a farewell performance. But he made it clear: "If this will affect the transfer, I am willing to give up." Real Madrid firmly conveyed a signal: he is ready. They hope he joins right away because he deserves to appear at Chamartin Base now.

"He was once one of the best youth tennis players in the country." recalled Guillermo Coria, a famous tennis player who once directed him. Mastantono was born on August 14, 2007 and participated in national tennis competitions many times as a teenager. But football has always been his love, and this idea has also been supported by his father as a coach. When he was nine years old, Riverbed scout Daniel Brisuella took a fancy to him and sighed: "My intuition tells me that this is a rare genius." However, his family was more inclined to allow him to continue his tennis career until two years later, and he officially joined the Riverbed youth training system.

In 2019, the 12-year-old Mastantono won the league championship for the youth team. In 2024, he became the third youngest debut player in Riverbed history at the age of 16 years and 167 days..

In the past season, he ushered in an explosive period of his career:

61 appearances

contributed 10 goals + 7 assists

averaged 1 goal every 176 minutes

He also set a number of team history records:

The youngest scorer in the River Plate (16 years, 5 months, 24 days)

The youngest scorer in the Cup of Libertadores (16 years, 254 days)

The youngest scorer in the youth against Boca (17 years, 8 months, 13 days)

His arc free kick against Boca is the best goal so far.

The day before yesterday, Mastantono successfully passed the physical examination and signed the contract. Today, Real Madrid officially announced it to the public. He will officially report on August 15th. On that day, he will become a member of Real Madrid and will also embark on a legendary journey of his own.

The tennis boy who walked out of the town of Azur has now stepped onto the pinnacle of world football. The turning point of fate is amazing, and the story that belongs to him has just begun.

will be signed until 2031, and he will be in his early 23 years old by then. The future is promising, and Real Madrid's new generation of Argentine treasures will officially debut.