Franco or Mastantuono? The murky side behind a farcical debate in Spain | OneFootball

The debut of Argentine Franco Mastantuono at Real Madrid sparked a ridiculous debate in Spain: how should fans address him, by his first name or his last name? The discussion began on the popular television program El Chiringuito and has already taken hold.

The dilemma stems from the fact that Franco is the surname of the dictator who ruled the country for 36 years, responsible for thousands of deaths, and who has been linked to the merengue club.

In the program, which is a reference in Spanish sports journalism, opinions were exchanged on how fans should address him, leading to some jabs related to the myth that Francisco Franco was a Madrid supporter and helped the club during his regime. However, the two Argentines participating in the segment, Jorge D’Alessandro and Matías Palacios, logically argued that he should be called Mastantuono, as is customary in Argentina.

Historically, in Spain, there has been a tendency to refer to footballers by their first names rather than their last names. Famous cases include Xavi Hernández or Xabi Alonso, the current coach of Real Madrid, but it also happened with others like Raúl Hernández or Juanito Gómez, among others.

And although it may seem like a trivial debate, it is not at all. So much so that in Spain, referees have used their two surnames since the Franco era. Why is that? During the dictatorship, a referee named Ángel Franco officiated, and press headlines or fan comments would point out that "Franco is very bad" or "Franco ruined the match." To avoid double meanings and interpretations as an attack on the general, the use of both surnames was implemented, a tradition that continues to this day.

However, in the case of the attacking midfielder who emerged from River, it is not as well-received due to the resemblance to a dark figure in the country's history, responsible for political persecutions and executions for thinking differently or opposing his regime, which began in 1939 and only ended in 1975, when Franco himself died.

Although it has become popularly accepted that Franco was a Madrid supporter and "lent a hand" when he was in power, the truth is that the data shows it wasn't quite like that. It coincided with Madrid winning six European Cups and being the visible face of Spanish football in Europe during that era.

Historically, Real Madrid has been a club closer to the ruling classes than others. But regarding the dictator, Madrid fans today say that Franco used the club for propaganda of his regime, while anti-Madridists argue that during his government, the institution was favored, leading to title wins.

Beyond this, the facts are compelling. In any case, Real was not the only one favored. The fierce rival, Barcelona, inaugurated Camp Nou during that era, and at the opening was the General Minister, José Solís Ruíz; the culé entity even gave Franco a gold insignia. Barca was also saved from bankruptcy three times during that period and won eight leagues.

Meanwhile, the Merengues went through the first 15 years of the regime without titles until they won the League in 1953-1954. In total, Real Madrid and Barcelona won 21 of the 82 titles contested between May 1939 and May 1975. Regardless of history, the fact is that the Merengues were left with the label of "team of the regime," and today that legend has been revived with Mastantuono's arrival at the White House.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.