Mastantuono: I’d love to return to River, thanks Demichelis, Gallardo | OneFootball

At just 18 years old, Franco Mastantuono is living a dream come true. He has established himself as a starter at Real Madrid, where he already scored his first goal against Levante, and in the latest round of the South American Qualifiers, he had the honor of wearing Lionel Messi’s number 10 jersey for the Argentina National Team. Beyond his current life in the spotlight, the native of Azul still keeps River close to his heart: he thanked the fans for their affection, explained that both Martín Demichelis and Marcelo Gallardo were extremely important to his career, and dreams of the possibility of returning one day.

After impressive performances in River Plate’s youth divisions, being called up to the U-17 World Cup in Indonesia a year younger than his teammates, and a preseason with the first team, Mastantuono made his professional debut on January 28, 2024, in a draw against Argentinos Juniors in the Copa de la Liga.

“Both Marcelo (Gallardo) and Martín Demichelis had a huge impact on my career. They were my first coaches, I learned a lot from them, they made my dream of becoming a professional player and wearing the River jersey come true,” he explained in an interview with ESPN.

Since that hot summer day, the talented left-footer wore the River Plate jersey 64 times, scoring ten goals and providing seven assists. He also amazed the world with his play, prompted Real Madrid to pay the 45 million euro release clause, and led Lionel Scaloni to make him the youngest debutant in the history of the Argentina National Team.

“The fans meant everything to me. From the first day I stepped onto the pitch, I felt the affection I had dreamed of since I was a kid, going to the stadium to watch River. That affection was unique and I will always be grateful for it. I know many felt bad about my transfer (to Real Madrid). It upset some, others understood. I hold on to the love they gave me, and I’ll never forget that in my life,” said Mastantuono, who holds no grudge against those River fans who were upset about his departure from the club mid-year, just as the decisive stage of the Copa Libertadores was about to begin.

Even though he is still very young and in the midst of developing his career, he has in mind a return to the club he loves in the future: “Honestly, I would love to come back to River one day. But in life, a million things can happen and you can’t know today what will happen in ten years. But I love it, I watch every game. I feel a love for the club that, being far away, becomes even more apparent. A club like River, with how big it is… You always want to come back.”

For now, Mastantuono is focused in Miami with the Argentina National Team ahead of the friendlies against Venezuela and Puerto Rico, which will be played in that U.S. city. Considering the quality of the opponents and that these friendlies will serve to fine-tune details ahead of the next World Cup, it’s likely that the 18-year-old will get minutes in both matches.

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