"It has nothing to do with Lamine Yamal" - Ex-Barcelona star Javier Saviola names former Real Madrid player similar to Franco Mastantuono

Former Barcelona star Javier Saviola has revealed that Real Madrid's new signing Franco Mastantuono has a similar playing style to James Rodriguez. While insisting that Mastantuono is a completely different player from Lamine Yamal, Saviola claimed that the Argentine is a player with Madrid's traits.

In a discussion with MARCA, the former Barcelona attacker spoke about Mastantuono. He said (via Madrid Universal):

"For me, it has nothing to do with Lamine Yamal, but he does look like James Rodríguez. He is a footballer of the palate of Real Madrid."

Among the talents scouted by Madrid in recent times, Mastantuono was reportedly among the prime targets. Thus, Real Madrid recently completed his signing for a reported €45 million from River Plate.

As a teenager (17), Mastantuono has proven to be a skilful midfielder who also doubles as an outstanding goalscorer in attack. The Argentine is also a decent set-piece merchant whose ability to skip past his opponents while advancing with the ball is tremendous.

Having secured a move to the Bernabeu, Mastantuono would definitely improve the attacking side of Xabi Alonso's midfield. His proficiency to also feature on the right-wing in attack could also be handy for Los Blancos going forward.

In 2025, Mastantuono has delivered seven goals and four assists in 19 appearances for River Plate. It remains to be seen if he would follow in the footsteps of James Rodriguez, who registered 79 goal contributions in 125 games for Madrid.

“Xabi Alonso is very engaging and intense” - Real Madrid's Federico Valverde

Real Madrid CF v Real Sociedad - La Liga EA Sports - Source: Getty

Los Blancos’ midfielder Federico Valverde has revealed that the new Madrid manager Xabi Alonso is highly engaging and intense. The Uruguayan also added that the Spanish tactician helps his players to improve.

In a recent interview, Valverde said (via Madrid Xtra on X):

“Xabi Alonso is very engaging and intense. Having him around helps a player a lot. He’s going to help us in terms of football and personally. We will all be pushing in the same direction to win the most titles this year.”

Madrid will be looking to reclaim the La Liga and UEFA Champions League titles next term, having failed to win both last season.

About the author

Abel is an European football journalist who focuses primarily on analysis pieces and preview copies at Sportskeeda. A B.Sc degree holder in Economics, he has a previous work experience of 3 years – a year at Opera News Hub where he was promoted as a 'Verified Sports Writer,’ and over two years at Sportskeeda as a revenue-share writer, where his writing skills have ultimately led him to be integrated into the in-house team.

A Manchester United fan who grew up in a family of Red Devils supporters, he started his journey as an ardent football fan in his childhood. He used to spend hours watching the sport with his family and developed a knack for writing about the beautiful game over the years.

He is a huge admirer of Paul Pogba owing to the midfielder's ability to thread passes from anywhere on the pitch and his favorite manager is Jose Mourinho due to the Portuguese's tactical mind. He feels France's triumph in 2018 is his all-time favorite World Cup moment, and reckons Lamine Yamal and Endrick could replicate the rivalry between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Abel always strives to verify information, especially statistics, before penning a word and offers constructive but not defamatory criticisms. Apart from Europe's top five leagues, he follows the Eredivisie and the Primeira Liga. He loves to spend his free time playing video games like EA FC and watching movies.

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Edited by Sudeshna Banerjee