Youth director rejects comparisons between Real Madrid starlet and Lamine Yamal | OneFootball

Next week, Franco Mastantuono will officially become a Real Madrid player, with his 18th birthday being on Thursday. A deal was agreed with River Plate earlier in the summer, but as per FIFA rules, he has not been able to join Xabi Alonso’s squad.

There is a lot of excitement within Real Madrid for Mastantuono’s arrival, and despite his age, it’s expected that he will be a regular starter during his first season at the Santiago Bernabeu. He’s also been tipped as the ideal successor to Lionel Messi with the Argentine national team, which will inevitable lead to comparisons between himself and Lamine Yamal, who has also been compared to the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner.

Gabriel Orlando Rodríguez, who is the youth director at River Plate, has worked a lot with Mastantuono, and as he told Diario AS, he does not see the new Real Madrid man as being similar to Barcelona sensation Lamine Yamal.

“They are the same age, but I see a style much more similar to James Rodríguez or Marcelo Gallardo, although the current River coach was right-footed. He is not as explosive as Lamine Yamal. He is a footballer who thinks, observes the field, his teammates and analyses the options that the game offers him. He is very intelligent and has the ability to make the team improve. He is the ideal place to take advantage of his dribbling, his passing, his vision of the game and his magnificent left foot.”

Image via FC Barcelona

Lamine Yamal and Mastantuono will excite fans in 2025-26

La Liga is fortunate to have a number of very exciting young players, with Lamine Yamal and Mastantuono being at the very top of that scale. There is no doubt that they could end up battling for individual awards for many years to come, although the latter’s primary focus will be helping Real Madrid to bounce back from their very disappointing season in 2024-25.