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Xabi Alonso Says Real Madrid Will Keep Franco Mastantuono Out of U-20 World Cup

The club points to optional release rules for youth events, prioritizing his availability during a dense run of fixtures.

Diego Placente sigue a lo lejos los movimientos de Franco Mastantuono, durante un entreamiento de la selección Sub 20
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Overview

  • In his Friday pre-match press conference, Alonso stated, "If it depends on us, he stays with us," signaling Madrid’s stance on not ceding the 18-year-old to Argentina’s U-20 squad.
  • FIFA does not oblige clubs to release players for youth World Cups, reducing the likelihood that AFA’s push to include Mastantuono will succeed.
  • If released for Chile 2025, he could miss up to seven Real Madrid games across LaLiga and the Champions League during the tournament window.
  • Mastantuono has been training back in Madrid after international duty and is expected to be involved against Real Sociedad.
  • The forward’s national-team outing drew critical Spanish headlines, and an AS poll reported 59% of participating fans favor dropping him from Madrid’s starting lineup after he recently became the youngest to wear Argentina’s No. 10.