Warm welcome for Franco Mastantuono in Italy: he'll join Fiorentina | OneFootball

“Olé, olé, oléééé… Francooo, Francooo”. The sun was setting in Florence, Italy, the city Gabriel Batistuta fell in love with through his goals, when another Argentine player — just 19 years old, baby-faced, with precocious dribbling skills — emerged from one of the doors at Amerigo Vespucci Airport (he had landed minutes earlier on a private flight from Madrid) and sent the fans into delirium. Around 500 Fiorentina supporters came to see Franco Mastantuono in person, the club’s brand-new signing for next season.

Wearing sunglasses and a dark T-shirt, the River academy product smiled, somewhat incredulous at what he was experiencing. He had never imagined that his arrival in the Italian city that will be his home for the next year would spark such a display of affection. He stepped into the human tide and got into the tinted-window car that would take him to his new club’s training ground, Viola Park. There he would attend his new teammates’ friendly against Spain’s Deportivo de La Coruña, which ended 1-1. And he would have his first face-to-face meeting with his coach, Fabio Grosso.

The coach was key in convincing the attacking midfielder developed at River to choose the team in purple over some of the other options he had on the table (Milan, Roma, Benfica, Fulham, for example). Grosso told him about his project over the phone and, with a starting spot guaranteed, the young Argentine was won over. All that was left was for the clubs to reach an agreement, which came on Wednesday: a one-year straight loan, meaning with no clauses or purchase options in favor of the Italians. Fiorentina and Real Madrid will split the Argentine’s salary equally, which according to the Italian press amounts to €3.5 million net per season.

The Argentine’s arrival brings hope to a fan base in need of a franchise player. “Fiorentina gives Grosso one of the best young players in the world, while keeping the resources needed to find a right winger to play on the opposite flank. The idea is for Mastantuono to start on the right and, from there, have the freedom to create,” reads the Florence edition of Corriere della Sera. The newspaper describes Mastantuono as “the 19-year-old making Fiorentina dream.”

Italy’s leading sports outlet, Gazzetta dello Sport, added its own take: “Mastantuono, an attacking midfielder who prefers to start on the right and then drift inside, would be ideal in the 4-3-2-1 Grosso has tested in his last two friendlies (against Watford and Real Madrid), but his qualities also allow him to adapt easily to the 4-3-3, Grosso’s usual setup, which has been temporarily shelved due to the lack of attacking wingers in the squad. In recent matches, the coach had opted for Gudmundsson and Atta to play behind the center forward, and in this system, Mastantuono could replace the Icelander or even play alongside him if he is not sold. In that case, Atta could return to left midfield. All of this must be studied and analyzed by a Fiorentina side that is focused on revolution and quality.”

Mastantuono will have to adapt to a new reality: Italian instead of the Spanish he spoke in Madrid. And the certainty that, for now, he will not have any Argentine teammates in the Artemio Franchi dressing room. The only compatriot is on the verge of being sold to Spain’s Alavés: defender Nicolás Valentini, formerly of Boca, who last season played on loan at Hellas Verona and is expected to complete his move to LaLiga in the coming hours. Mastantuono will have a reliable point of contact in David De Gea, the 35-year-old Spanish goalkeeper who is one of the squad’s leaders.

And at Viola Park (the purple side’s training center), he will reunite with a former Real Madrid teammate, defender Víctor Valdepeñas. A few days ago, the Italians bought 50% of the rights to the 19-year-old Spaniard for eight million euros. Fate would have it that while Fiorentina sporting director Fabio Paratici was negotiating with Florentino Pérez over the defender’s transfer, Mastantuono’s name came up. And both deals ended up going through.

Mastantuono’s is one of those transfers that seems to work out for everyone involved. Real Madrid ensures that one of its young stars, for whom it paid more than €60 million, gets playing time in one of Europe’s most important leagues. And does not lose resale value. Fiorentina will enjoy one of the world’s most highly rated Under-20 players and will be able to strengthen its squad at no cost, beyond 50% of the annual salary. Mastantuono himself avoids falling into obscurity after Real Madrid coach José Mourinho decided he would not be part of his plans for next season. He will be able to prove his worth without pressure. He has a very similar example close at hand: Nico Paz left the Bernabéu as a backup. And he ended up at the 2026 World Cup thanks to his outstanding last season at Italy’s Como.

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