
Óscar Ruggeri suggested an Argentine player to Florentino Pérez live
The '86 World Champion asked him live to hire one of River's current figures
While River has an irregular performance that is far from expected, there are some players who stand up for the team, and one of them is Franco Mastantuono. At just 17 years old, he was the standout player against Talleres, creating several goal opportunities, and each week he confirms that he is one of the highest points of the Millonario.

Due to the great level he has been showing, on ESPN's F90 program, Oscar Ruggeri decided to use his contacts to try to open the doors of Europe to the young promise. Who did he talk to? None other than Florentino Pérez, president of Real Madrid.
"You have to tell him: sign Mastantuono, like Diego (Maradona) did by telling him to sign Mbappé," his program colleagues began insisting. "Send him a message," they added, while Ruggeri recounted an anecdote about his relationship with the Merengue boss.
Faced with that proposal, the former defender didn't hesitate and took his phone. Among his chats, he searched for the conversation with Florentino and recorded an audio with a very clear request: "Presi, we have a player here in Argentina: Mastantuono... who is one of the best at 17 years old. I want to see an Argentine at Real Madrid, cheers," was the message he reportedly sent.

Before doing so, however, Ruggeri himself hinted that Real Madrid's interest in the young player might already be a reality. "Do you think they haven't noticed him?" he said with a laugh, leaving the question in the air.
Mastantuono's contract with River
The midfielder has a contract with River until the end of 2026. In the last renewal, signed last year, a release clause of 45 million dollars (the highest in the history of Argentine soccer) was established, a figure that rises to 50 million during the last ten days of the transfer market.
Since his debut in the First Division at the beginning of 2024, under the guidance of Martín Demichelis, Mastantuono has played 51 matches with the club's jersey, in which he scored 5 goals and provided 5 assists.

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