Fabio Paratici has built an interesting but unbalanced Fiorentina during his first official transfer window. Having reshaped the defense and the midfield, the wings were begging for reinforcement, particularly on the right. By signing Franco Mastantuono from Real Madrid, he’s addressed that need with one of the most promising teenaged attackers in the world. Before anyone gets too excited, remember that it’s a dry loan. There’s no option to keep the kid around even if things go well, although Niccolò
Ceccarini reports an agreement to extend the move should the Viola finish in the European places this year.
Mastantuono broke into River Plate’s first team aged just 16, becoming la Banda’s 3rd-youngest player. The following month, he became its youngest-ever goalscorer and the 2nd-youngest scorer in a Superclásico. Despite being a child, his technical ability and character were obvious. When he scored 3 goals and assisted 3 more in just 10 games in the 2025 Apertura, all the megaclubs started jostling for him. Real Madrid ponied up the €45 million to trigger a move and off he went to Spain on his 18th birthday last year.
Despite the outrageous collection of attacking talent los Merengues have acquired, Mastantuono played a significant role. He played in 35 games, mostly as a rotational option, scoring 3 goals and adding an assist. Despite his tender years, he garnered quite a bit of criticism from fans for fading out of games, although his hard work out of possession kept him in Xabi Alonso and Álvaro Arbeloa’s plans.
In Florence, he’ll step into the starting job immediately. I’m very interested to see how he meshes with the rest of the team: this midfield is designed to break the lines and find space in the final third, leaving Mastantuono the task of playing that final ball. The main questions are 1) whether he’ll drift in to the same areas as Arthur Atta and Albert Guðmundsson, leading to a kludgy mess in the middle; and 2) how he’ll link up with Moise Kean.
As far as I can tell, Mastantuono’s always been the sort to put team success above personal accolades. However, he’s always been the youngster who still needs to prove it. If his mindset is to use this year to improve his standing in Madrid by showcasing his individual talent, this could go very wrong. If he continues his usual course and puts the collective first, he could be one of the keys to this Viola puzzle.
His arrival has certainly energized the supporters, at least: several hundred showed up to greet him. Showing up in Florence with a guitar has excellent precedents for an Argentine arriving from Spain. If this foreshadows Mastantuono falling in love with a local gelato shop owner and becoming an emblem of this era of Fiorentina and a fan favorite, I certainly won’t complain.
Bienvenido, Franco, y buena suerte.
