Franco Mastantuono Finds His Smile Again Away From Real Madrid
The young Argentine admitted how much his situation has changed since leaving Madrid for Fiorentina in search of minutes and has once again started to feel important with La Albiceleste.
Franco Mastantuono enjoyed himself again with Argentina. The attacker played 35 minutes in the 4-0 win over Bolivia in Córdoba, La Albiceleste’s first match after the World Cup. The AFA confirmed the victory and the start of a new series of friendlies for Lionel Scaloni’s side.
His return to the national team comes after a summer that completely changed his outlook. Mastantuono left Real Madrid on loan for Fiorentina, where he was looking for exactly what had been missing during his first season in Spain: regular playing time. The loan runs until June 30, 2027, as officially confirmed by Real Madrid.
And the player himself delivered a quote that sums up the change: “Scaloni gives me a lot of freedom to play and I’m grateful for that. I’ve felt great since I went to Italy and changed my life a little.” It is a revealing admission that helps explain why Florence is starting to become the setting for his revival.
Fiorentina Gave Him the Minutes He Needed
The change has not only been emotional. Mastantuono has found the consistency he lacked in Madrid, and his numbers are starting to follow.
Before this international break, he had made seven appearances across Serie A and the Coppa Italia, starting regularly and scoring three goals, all of them in the same match against Venezia. That form proved key to putting him back on Scaloni’s radar.
The loan has also served exactly the purpose behind his Real Madrid exit: to play, rebuild confidence and accelerate a development process that had stalled during his first season in Europe.
Missing the World Cup Still Hurts
His improved form has not erased one of the toughest blows of his young career. Mastantuono admitted that missing out on Argentina’s World Cup squad was particularly painful.
“It’s tough to be left out of the World Cup squad, but I was always supporting my teammates and Argentina and hoping they would do well. They had an incredible World Cup that made every Argentine proud,” he said after the match.
Now, he prefers to look forward. Argentina have begun a new cycle, and Mastantuono feels he once again has the chance to earn a permanent place in the group.
Scaloni Wants to Give Him Time
Lionel Scaloni also made it clear that he does not intend to rush the young attacker’s development.
After the match, the head coach included Mastantuono alongside Leonel Flores and Nico Paz among the talents Argentina must protect and develop without demanding immediate answers from them in every appearance.
For Mastantuono, the picture looks very different from only a few months ago: he is playing regularly in Italy, he is back with the national team and once again feels the confidence of a coach who allows him to express himself. For now, Florence appears to have given him exactly the change he needed.
The Keys to Mastantuono’s New Chapter
- His loan move to Fiorentina has allowed him to regain consistency and confidence.
- He returned to action with Argentina after missing the World Cup.
- Scaloni sees him as part of the new cycle, but wants to manage his development patiently.
