At a glance
- Franco Mastantuono has been unconvincing since the completion of his €60 million move from River Plate to Real Madrid last summer.
- With three goals and one assist in 2025/2026, the Argentine has also failed to nail down regular playing time.
- The club is currently unsure whether to loan him out and repeat the Endrick formula. Take Kubo and Reinier are cautionary tales of how things can further descend in that respect.
Doubts are creeping in about Franco Mastantuono at Real Madrid, as explained by AS.
The 18-year-old arrived at the Bernabeu to great fanfare, with Los Blancos believed to have pulled off a coup by beating a number of European rivals to his signature.
His start to life under Xabi Alonso upon completing a €60 million transfer from River Plate wasn’t too bad. Mastantuono looked to be providing competition for the right flank, showing signs of promise.
Under Alonso’s replacement Alvaro Arbeloa, however, he hasn’t started in La Liga since February 1 while it goes without saying he was overlooked for last 16 and quarterfinal Champions League clashes against Manchester City and Bayern Munich.
With three goals, a single assist and just 1,200 minutes of action, Mastantuono is not enjoying the prominence expected of someone with his lofty price tag.
Opinion on what to do with Mastantuono at Real Madrid is divided
The quick fix for Madrid would be sending Mastantuono out on loan. You only need to look at Endrick to see how that can do wonders for a South American wonderkid’s confidence.
Similarly frozen out under Carlo Ancelotti and then Alonso, Endrick took the brave plunge and tried his luck at Lyon in January. On French turf, he has 14 goals contributions split evenly across strikes and assists, and looks certain to make Ancelotti’s Brazil World Cup squad.
More importantly on a day-to-day basis, Madrid have already told Endrick he will return to the Spanish capital after the North American tournament. There’s increased confidence in his ability, and he’ll continue to challenge Kylian Mbappe for the striker’s role or make a case for the right.
At the same time, though, the cases of Take Kubo and Endrick’s compatriot Reinier are proof of when things can get even worse.
Take ended up at Real Sociedad after temporary spells at Mallorca (twice), Getafe and Villarreal. On the other hand, Reinier failed at Girona, Borussia Dortmund, Frosinone and Granada before heading to Atletico Mineiro for free in a €30 million loss.
The outlay on Mastantuono is too high to let that happen again, however. Given his age and potential, there’s more chance of him following Endrick’s lead than ending up another cautionary tale of too much, too young. And it’s at least worth a punt to give him experience elsewhere than have him remain stagnant.
