Spanish press react to Mastantuono missing Scaloni's World Cup squad | OneFootball

Franco Mastantuono will not be part of Argentina’s squad for the 2026 World Cup, and the news caused a major stir in Spain. Lionel Scaloni officially announced this Thursday the list of 26 players who will defend the title won in Qatar 2022, and the young Real Madrid midfielder was left out of the call-up.

The absence of the former River player quickly made headlines in Spain’s main sports media outlets, which interpreted the decision as a logical consequence of his inconsistent first season in European football.

What was said in Spain about Mastantuono’s absence

Newspapers such as MARCA and AS were blunt in analyzing the 18-year-old footballer’s omission.

“Messi leads an Argentina squad without Mastantuono but with Nico Paz and Lo Celso,” they published.

Meanwhile, other outlets directly linked the decision to the Argentine’s poor performances at Real Madrid.

“The Real Madrid player’s inconsistent season was the trigger for Scaloni not to call on him,” the Spanish press said.

Lack of playing time, key to the decision

In Spain, they insist there is no controversy behind the youngster’s absence and stress that the explanation is purely football-related.

“He hasn’t played much for Real Madrid and has looked short on confidence,” various media outlets close to the club analyzed.

They also believe that the lack of continuity ended up seriously damaging his chances of making the World Cup squad.

Mundo Deportivo and Sport also agreed that the midfielder has not yet managed to establish himself in the senior squad.

“The young Argentine has not fully become an important piece, and his performances were below expectations,” they wrote.

A difficult first season at Real Madrid

Mastantuono arrived at Real Madrid as one of the club’s biggest bets after a multi-million transfer from River Plate.

However, his adaptation was far from easy.

During the season, he played 35 official matches in the Spanish side’s shirt, although he scored only three goals and provided one assist.

He also lost ground in the coaching staff’s plans and stopped being a regular starter for much of the year.

The team also ended the season without any trophies, in a difficult context for several of the squad’s young players.

What happens now with Mastantuono

After being left out of the World Cup, the Argentine’s immediate future is once again under scrutiny in Madrid.

According to Spanish media, there is a real possibility within the club of sending him out on loan so he can gain continuity and confidence with another team.

The final decision will depend both on the club’s internal choices and on the new coach who takes over at the Merengue side.

For now, the plan is for Mastantuono to report in July to begin preseason at Valdebebas, where his future for the next campaign will start to be decided.

If he does not remain with the first team, the midfielder could go out on loan in an attempt to regain prominence and work his way back into Lionel Scaloni’s plans with the 2030 World Cup cycle in mind.

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