Franco Mastantuono was officially unveiled at Valdebebas this Wednesday, on his 18th birthday, holding a Real Madrid shirt with the number 30. The number choice is not random. Under LaLiga rules, first-team players must wear squad numbers between 1 and 25. By registering Mastantuono with Real Madrid Castilla instead of the senior squad, the club keeps the number 25 vacant in case they make another signing before the transfer window closes. Mastantuono used to wear the number 30 at River Plate as well.
This is not unprecedented at Real Madrid. In recent history, Vinícius Júnior and Rodrygo Goes were both initially registered with Castilla in their debut seasons. The regulatory basis for this flexibility is Article 252 of the Reglamento General of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), which governs player registration for reserve and dependent teams.
Article 252 (Limitations)
1. The possibility granted by Articles 250 and 251 of this Regulation, regarding footballers registered with reserve teams or with any higher team within the structure of the main club or its sponsor, shall be nullified when it concerns footballers who, having been registered with the higher team, have been deregistered from it and then registered with the lower team in the same season; or when, in the case of clubs whose first team is in non-professional categories, they find themselves in any of the situations provided for in Articles 60, 80, or 212 of the General Regulations of the RFEF – State Registry of Sports Entities – Higher Sports Council.
2. Footballers registered with a reserve team or dependent team may only play for teams other than the one that registered them if their definitive registration with the reserve or dependent team was completed within the registration periods of the team for which they intend to play. Exceptionally, at the request of the club, the RFEF may authorize the participation of a player registered after the close of the registration period for the main or sponsoring team, provided that the licence was rejected before the close of the registration period in the division in which they wish to play due to the need for an International Transfer Certificate, and that this certificate was requested before the close of the registration period for the team in which they wish to play. They may also play if, between the date of their registration with the reserve or dependent team, there was a player registration period for the team in which they intend to play.
3. In competitions other than the National League Championships, the number of footballers who may be fielded in a higher team, coming from reserve or dependent teams, may not exceed six, while always respecting the provisions of Article 246 of this Regulation.
4. In the case of futsal, in competitions other than the league, the number of players who may be listed on the match sheet to participate in a higher team may not exceed three.
This will allow the Argentine youngster to appear in all competitions for the first team without any issues. However, as a Castilla-registered player, he would count toward the limit of six reserve players allowed in senior match squads for cup competitions outside the National League.
If Mastantuono features in a Copa del Rey or Spanish Super Cup game, Real Madrid would only be able to field five other active Castilla players—something particularly relevant in the early rounds of the Copa del Rey, where the club traditionally gives minutes to several youth prospects.
