Franco Mastantuono: Argentina’s Rising Football Star Linked with PSG

As interest grows in River Plate midfielder Franco Mastantuono, reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano has shared the latest update on the 17-year-old's future.

According to Romano, Mastantuono currently favors a move to Paris Saint-Germain over other European clubs. PSG plan to leverage their strong European campaign this season to convince the young talent, accelerating negotiations to agree on personal terms.

Under the leadership of Luis Enrique and sporting director Luís Campos, PSG is quickly building a reputation as a prime destination for developing rising stars.

Franco Mastantuono: Argentina’s Next Footballing Phenomenon?

Mastantuono, born in Azul in Argentina’s Buenos Aires Province, showed an early interest in tennis and competed at the national level as a young player. At just three years old, he also began playing football with River de Azul, where his father was the coach.

Although his family supported his tennis ambitions and he earned a spot at a tennis academy, Mastantuono declined an invitation to try out for the professional football team River Plate in 2017. At the time, he was still playing for River de Azul. Instead, at the age of eleven, he chose to join Club Cemento.

Franco Mastantuono accepted River Plate’s offer in 2019 and moved to join the Buenos Aires-based club. He made his debut for their youth team in the final match of the 2019 season.

In 2020, he began participating in AFA (Argentine Football Association) events, but the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the season and limited his playing opportunities.

Despite the setback, Mastantuono continued to develop in River Plate’s academy. In 

August 2023, he signed his first professional contract with the club—a two-year deal that included a €30 million release clause.

The following year, head coach Martín Demichelis called him up to join the senior squad for preseason training, along with several other promising young players.

Receives his first-ever senior national team call-up

River Plate star Franco Mastantuono has earned his first-ever call-up to the Argentina national team by head coach Lionel Scaloni ahead of the upcoming World Cup qualifiers.

La Albiceleste has already secured their spot in next year’s World Cup and will face Chile and Colombia this June. Among the exciting additions to the squad is 17-year-old wonderkid Franco Mastantuono, whose breakout season with River Plate—scoring seven goals and providing four assists—has marked him as one of Argentina’s brightest young talents.

Mastantuono models his style of play on Neymar, Phil Foden and Julian Alvarez 

River Plate youth manager Martín Pellegrino has praised Mastantuono’s exceptional ball-striking ability, noting that the left-footed midfielder is versatile enough to play as a forward, an enganche (traditional Argentine playmaker), or a central playmaking midfielder.

Pablo Fernández, assistant coach of River Plate’s reserve squad, also highlighted Mastantuono’s impressive one-on-one skills, his accuracy from free kicks, and his powerful shot.

Mastantuono himself has cited River Plate stars Ignacio Fernández and Matías Suárez, as well as compatriot Julián Álvarez, as key influences on his playing style. He also draws inspiration from international stars such as Phil Foden and Neymar.

Cover Credits - Goal.com