With the official signing of Franco MastantuonoReal Madrid has added its ranks to the 34th Argentine player in its history. With only 17 years, the young talent that emerged from the seedbed of River Plate He arrives at the Madrid entity after consolidating himself as one of the great promises of South American football. Its signing, which exceeds 45 million euros, not only makes it the most expensive sale in the history of River, but also in the symbol of a new generation of successful exports of the Buenos Aires Club.
Mastanton It is the fourth footballer that passes directly from River Plate to Real Madridfollowing the steps of Eduardo Anzarda, Oscar Mas and Gonzalo Higuaín. In addition, it becomes the fifth player formed in the millionaire quarry that arrives at the Madrid club and in the 14th in dressing both shirts. Its landing in the capital of Spain arrives in a context of close institutional relations between both clubs, reinforced on March 30 with the visit of Jorge Brito and Ignacio Villarroel to the Santiago Bernabéu stadium, where they delivered a River shirt to Florentino Pérez.
The history of players who have traveled the bridge between River Plate and the Real Madrid It started with Alfredo Di Stéfanolegendary figure of both clubs and pioneer in this link. The blonde saeta, as journalist Roberto Neuberger nicknamed for her speed and clear hair, changed River's game style forever when she broke into the first team in 1945. Undiscussed idol, Stefano He won the League, was a scorer, South American champion with Argentina and left an indelible mark before emigrating to Europe and becoming one of the greatest historical scorers of the Real Madridwith 308 goals, five European glasses and two golden balls.
That legacy is a clear reference to Mastanton, who can also look in the mirror of Gonzalo Higuaínauthor of 121 goals and winner of two Diseases With the white club. The young left -hander has already demonstrated personality in key matches, as in the Superclassic of April 27, where he scored free kick the decisive goal against Boca Juniors Before a full monumental.
A 2025 to get excited
Its 2025 is being stellar: it is the Argentine sub-23 footballer who has generated the most goals in the natural year (11 participations: 7 goals and 4 assists) and has just made history by becoming the youngest player to officially debut with the Argentine National Team, on June 5 in El Triunfo against Chile by the Copa América.
This signing also highlights the growing impact of the seedbed of River In European football. In the last four years, under the management of Jorge Britothe club has made four of the seven most expensive sales in its history: Mastantuono, Enzo Fernández, Julián Álvarez and Claudio Echeverri. Since 2005, River Plate leads the world ranking of non -European clubs in export of soccer players to the major leagues, with 51 players, according to CIES data.
In economic terms, River leads the list of Latin American clubs with greater income from sales of players, accumulating 645.5 million euros – very above its eternal rival, Boca Juniors, which adds 533.8 million.
Mastantuono does not arrive alone. It arrives with the weight of a shared story between two world football giants. It arrives with talent, numbers and character. And it arrives with a legacy that inspires it: that of Alfredo Di Stéfanothat of Gonzalo Higuaínand that of a quarry that never stops producing champions.
