Franco Mastantuono made his debut in Serie A on Monday after being loaned by Real Madrid to Fiorentina to gain experience before a possible return to the Bernabeu. However, the match did not go as planned, and they were crushed by Roma.
Franco Mastantuono's Serie A debut was not good at all, as he could do little while watching his team get crushed by Roma, which took the victory at the Olympic Stadium, 4-0. With this, the Real Madrid player began on the wrong foot in his loan with Fiorentina, which has high hopes that he will return to the level he showed at the beginning.
He had statistics that were not at all enviable: 62 minutes; 39 touches; 9/14 passes completed; 2/6 dribbles completed; 4 fouls received; 18 possessions lost; 1 interception; 1 recovery. However, it is expected that, little by little, he will adapt to Calcio and find the confidence he had a year ago, when he played for River Plate and was the team's star.
Let us remember that for a couple of years, Real Madrid's scouts put their full attention on the Argentine, who at that time had only been in his professional debut in the Argentine league for a few months, at just 16 years old. Later, in 2025, he debuted for the Argentina senior national team at 17, which began to attract the attention of other major European clubs, not just Madrid.
This is why the white club did not want to take any risks and, in the summer of 2025, signed him for approximately 63.2 million euros, including payment of his release clause to River Plate, payments to the AFA (Argentine Football Association), etc. This turned the young Mastantuono into the most expensive signing in the history of football in that South American country.
Meanwhile, in Europe, fans of the Merengue club began to ask whether it was really worth spending so much on a young player who, yes, did well at River Plate and carried the team on his shoulders at times, but Real Madrid is a completely different level. The Argentine footballer's abilities were called into question, and pressure began to mount on the young man.
That pressure culminated in a 2025/26 season in which he did little or nothing to stand out or earn a regular spot in the starting lineup. His role was mainly to come on as a substitute in the final minutes or to start games of little importance or demand for the club.
That is why a strong season with Fiorentina in 2026/27 is crucial to his future in Europe. He must show the world again why a club as demanding and selective in signings as Madrid sought him when he was just 17, and begin building his legacy in the best football in the world.
