Kempes warns Mastantuono: Play to your strengths or risk fading

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·2 February 2026

Kempes warns Mastantuono: Play to your strengths or risk fading

Mario Alberto Kempes, absolute legend of the Argentine National Team and hero of the 1978 World Cup, analyzed the current state of international football and focused on one of the names making the most noise in the Old Continent: Franco Mastantuono. The former River Plate player, who is going through an adaptation process at Real Madrid, was at the center of the “Matador’s” reflections on the maturity and hierarchy needed to succeed at the elite level.

In a conversation with journalist Rodrigo Rea, the former striker from Córdoba acknowledged the youngster’s talent, but issued a warning about the mentality required to wear the white shirt. “They brought him from River because they saw a style in him that he’s not using to his advantage right now, and if he doesn’t use that style, he won’t last long,” Kempes stated bluntly.

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The weight of the “Casa Blanca”

For Kempes, tactical and technical talent is not enough if it isn’t accompanied by a dominant personality on the pitch. The “Matador’s” analysis highlighted several key points:

The demands of Madrid: “It’s not easy where he is, it’s not River or Boca. There, you have to win even in training sessions.”
Personality among the stars: Kempes suggested that Mastantuono must stop being just a “passer” for the established stars: “I understand that playing alongside such big names he might feel he has to give them every ball, but he needs to believe he can be a star himself.”
Proving it on the pitch: “Sometimes he looks mature, but just because you have a good ‘head’ doesn’t mean people will like you; you have to prove it on the field.”

Kempes’ message is clear: the young Argentine talent must recover the rebellious spirit he showed in Núñez in order to establish himself at the most demanding club in the world.

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