The rivalry between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid stretches back decades. Last season, the bragging rights firmly belonged to the Catalan club, who won all five encounters against their rivals, including a pre-season friendly.
This season, however, Real Madrid has struck first, claiming a narrow 2–1 victory over Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu. One notable absence for Los Blancos was Argentine wonderkid Franco Mastantuono, who joined the club in the summer and has been gradually adapting to his new environment.
In a recent interview with Cadena SER, as quoted by Mundo Deportivo, Mastantuono was asked who he thought was better between himself and Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal. The young midfielder did not hesitate in giving credit to his €200 million-rated rival.
“I don’t like comparisons, but it’s always nice to have rivals of the caliber of Lamine, from Barcelona. It motivates you to become even better. I hope it stays like that for a long time, until the end of my career. Today, Lamine. He’s showing an incredible level, but I’ve just arrived at Madrid, I’m in a process of adaptation, which I hope is quick, and that I can catch up to the rhythm of Europe and Madrid. I hope it’s a long story to tell, with many matches like the last one we played, which was incredible.”
Lamine Yamal of FC Barcelona celebrates his teams second goal scored by Robert Lewandowski of FC Barcelona (not pictured) during the LaLiga EA Sports match between FC Barcelona and Real Sociedad at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys.
Photo by Judit Cartiel/Getty Images
Mastantuono’s words come across as genuine. He has always been effusive in his praise of Lionel Messi, despite many Real Madrid players being reluctant to do so. He seems to have a calm head on his young shoulders.
The young Argentine also described the honor of wearing Messi’s number 10 shirt for Argentina against Ecuador as unforgettable and spoke about the opportunity to share the pitch with one of football’s all-time greats.
As both Mastantuono and Yamal play in similar positions, a high-profile rivalry is expected to develop in La Liga over the coming years. Let us wait and see how things play out on this front.