At just 17 years old, Franco Mastantuono became an essential piece within the scheme designed by Marcelo Gallardo and gained international notoriety after his free-kick goal and his outstanding performance in the last Superclásico againstBoca.
Expectations for the River youngster are sky-high, and voices confirming his talent keep emerging. One of them is Hernán Díaz, a historic player of La Banda who won 11 titles at the club, including the 1996 Libertadores, who praised the native of Azul.
Hernan Díaz fue un de los jugadores más importantes de River en los 90
"He has everything of ours: dribbling, personality, shooting, but also physique, it's a mix," recently opined La Hormiga in an interview on ESPN, where he was asked about the young talent's qualities. "I know him from the youth divisions. He was promoted to the Seventh, which won everything, and it was like he was getting bored. From there, he directly moved up to the Fifth, where he excelled and then didn't even touch the Reserve," he recalled about the midfielder's steps before establishing himself in the first team led by Muñeco.
In the same vein, he dared to draw a parallel with a historic figure of the club. "I'm a Maradona fan, but Ortega was the one who best interpreted our football: he faced, hooked, nutmegged..." he commented, comparing him to Burrito.
La Hormiga puso a Mastantuono al mismo nivel que Ortega
Mastantuono's talent didn't go unnoticed in Europe. Barcelona, Real Madrid, Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, and Manchester United have already expressed interest in him, with the latter showing more concrete intentions in recent days. Amid the growing interest, in April 2024, River decided to update his release clause, setting it at 45 million euros, with the possibility of extending it to 50 at the close of the transfer market.
His opinion on Gallardo
Supported by his experience, he also allowed himself to opine on the club's most influential coach. "For me, Gallardo is one of the best coaches in the world. It's true that Argentina is not the same as Europe, but he could easily be among the top five," he assured about Napoleon. He added: "I have no doubts, for me, he's the best in River's history."
Despite his current admiration, he confessed that during his time as a player, he didn't imagine that destiny for Gallardo: "I didn't see him as a coach." "He always had an amazing personality, and that character allowed him to build his career," he concluded.
Hernan Díaz considera a Gallardo como el mejor DT de la historia de River
