Franco Mastantuono on leaving River for Real Madrid: “I never hesitated” | OneFootball

After his tremendous breakthrough that amazed all of Argentine football, he didn't stay long in the country. In mid-2025, Franco Mastantuono became the new addition to Real Madrid, thus securing the main talent that emerged from River's youth divisions. And six months after his arrival in Europe, he broke his silence to talk about his departure, which sparked controversy among the fans.

His impressive level, even as a minor, had such a strong impact that it led to a record transfer for Argentina. Although he had to wait until August to turn 18, the "merengue" team finally shelled out 45 million euros to acquire one of the most promising players on the planet, who was also sought after by other giants of the Old Continent.

The truth is that this Monday he gave an exclusive interview with DSports, where he referred to that time. "I never doubted coming to Real Madrid," Mastantuono stated initially, indicating what his priority was at the time. "It was my dream, and I was guided by that. It was a difficult decision, but I am very happy," he added immediately afterward.

A few seconds later, he provided new details. "It was a very difficult situation," he insisted again before explaining his internal dilemma. "On one hand, there's the childhood love, having been raised at River, which fed me since I was 13, but on the other hand, it was the opportunity of my life to come to Real Madrid," he justified regarding the decision he made.

However, he took a few seconds to analyze the consequences his departure generated, mainly due to the criticism he received from the Millonario fans. "I understand the anger of some fans when I left River, they didn't like it," Franco stated. "I understand them perfectly because they want River to do well," he added about that event he had to go through.

In the same vein as what was already mentioned, Mastantuono once again emphasized the previous points and expanded his discourse on the matter. "For me, the biggest dream was to play at River," he first clarified. "When I debuted, I started to dream bigger, and I saw Real Madrid as closer," he later confessed. "It's the dream of any player to be able to reach the biggest club in the world," he concluded.

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