Argentine football teenage sensation Franco Mastantuono will move to Spanish giant Real Madrid, current club River Plate confirmed on Friday. 

The move, which had been rumored for weeks, is now official after the Spanish club agreed to pay the contract’s release clause. Mastantuono will move to Real Madrid after both clubs compete in the FIFA Club World Cup, set to start Saturday, June 14. 

According to River’s announcement, the deal will amount to €63.2 million (around US$72.6 million). River will receive US$51.7 after taxes. The deal is the most expensive Argentine football transfer in history, nearly doubling the fee paid by Atlético Madrid for Sergio Agüero in 2006.

“Thank you, Franco, for your sacrifice and talent,” River wrote in the statement. “It was a pleasure watching you grow up at the club; we wish you the best in this new stage of your career.”

A youth sensation

Mastantuono first broke through to the River first team under head coach Martín Demichelis, making his debut at just 16 in January 2024 against Argentinos Juniors. He scored his first official goal the following month in a game against Excursionistas in the Copa Argentina. This earned him another feat, as he is the youngest player to score an official goal for River, at 16 years, 5 months, and 24 days, beating Javier Saviola’s long-standing record.

His first great moment as a River player came last April this year, when Mastantuono gave a man-of-the-match performance against Boca Juniors in the Superclásico. The youngster took control of a free kick some 25 meters away from the goal and took advantage of a windy day to slot the ball into the top left corner. 

In June 2025, he became the youngest player to make his official debut with the Argentina men’s national football team at 17 years, 9 months, and 22 days old.

Mastantuono joins a long list of players who’ve donned the shirts of the two clubs. While legend and Real Madrid icon Alfredo Di Stéfano is the most famous, Santiago Solari, Javier Saviola, and Gonzalo Higuaín are perhaps the most recognizable in recent years.