Franco Mastantuono’s journey as a River Plate player came to an end this week as the Argentine giants were eliminated from the FIFA Club World Cup group stage.
River Plate were able to secure only four points from their three matches, notably losing to Inter Milan in their final game.
That means Mastantuono has already played his final game for River Plate. But while one would expect him to immediately join the Real Madrid camp, the reality could be entirely different.
Mastantuono to join Real Madrid after August 14
According to AS, Real Madrid won’t take any risks with Mastantuono as far as his registration is concerned.
By law, Mastantuono is ineligible to join Real Madrid until he turns 18. This is a strict policy Real Madrid have followed with previous South American talents such as Rodrygo, Vinicius Junior and Endrick.
Franco Mastantuono won’t join the Real Madrid camp until August 14. (Photo by Marcelo Endelli/Getty Images)
Since Mastantuono has an Italian passport, he won’t take up any non-EU spot. However, Real Madrid are not willing to take any risks.
Therefore, the Argentine prodigy will only be able to officially sign and train with the first team on August 14, his 18th birthday.
Until then, he is not permitted to use the club’s Valdebebas training facilities. The plan is for the youngster to take a couple of weeks of active rest before moving to Madrid at the end of July to settle into his new home.
In the two weeks leading up to his birthday, he will undertake a personalized training program, working alone but under the remote supervision of Real Madrid’s coaching staff.
This will focus on the physical side of his game to help him adapt to the higher intensity of European football.
Xabi Alonso is already a big fan of the Argentine starlet and it will be interesting to see how he integrates into the Real Madrid setup.