In what might be considered a bitter pill for Madridistas to swallow, Kempes pointed to the arch-enemy for a blueprint on how a teenager should handle the pressure of elite Spanish football. He cited Barcelona’s Yamal as the perfect example of the "boldness" that Mastantuono is currently lacking, directly linking that attacking fearlessness with the need to work harder than the established 'Galacticos' in the squad.
Kempes urged Mastantuono to rediscover the swagger he showed at River Plate, insisting that until he has the catalogue of goals and trophies to match illustrious teammates Mbappe and Vinicius Junior, his value must come through unceasing effort and risk-taking.
"He needs to get bolder, do what he did at River, shoot from outside the box, take on defenders… Lamine Yamal is more or less like that, look, he loses the ball, not often, but he does lose it, and he keeps asking for it. And he takes on defenders, and he shoots, and he plays. That’s what Mastantuono has to do, sacrifice himself 20 times more than Mbappe, or Vini, or anyone else. Even Rodrygo."
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