‘I don’t think I’m Lionel Messi or Real Madrid’s worst signing' - Franco Mastantuono fires back at critics after 'letting loose' against Monaco in Champions League

Mastantuono delivered his most significant performance in a Madrid shirt on Tuesday night, capping off a dazzling team display with a goal that silenced the murmurs of discontent at the Santiago Bernabeu. The youngster, who arrived with a burgeoning reputation from River Plate, has found himself at the centre of a media storm during his opening months in the Spanish capital, swinging wildly from being hailed as a generational talent to being written off as a transfer failure.

Speaking in the mixed zone after the match, Mastantuono addressed these extreme narratives, acknowledging the burden of expectation that comes with being a left-footed Argentine attacker but refused to let the external noise define his reality.

"Since I was a boy, people have talked about my football; it could be said that I was the new Messi and at the same time a disaster, the worst purchase of Real Madrid," Mastantuono told reporters. "I don't believe I am Messi, nor do I believe I am the worst signing of Real Madrid. I work for my best version, which I know I can have."

The midfielder admitted that the criticism has not gone unnoticed. "I also heard critics that I haven't forgotten, which make me improve and stronger," he added. "Today I was able to let loose a little more and show the version that I want Real Madrid to see."

The transition from Argentine football to the glare of the European champions is notoriously difficult, and the 18-year-old candidly admitted that he needed time to adjust to his new surroundings. While his talent was never in doubt, the upheaval of moving continents at such a young age presented significant personal challenges that impacted his early performances.

"I felt prepared, but it was a new life and that takes adaptation, being very far from my family," he explained. Despite the struggles, he insisted that he never lost his positive outlook or his desire to succeed at the biggest club in the world. "I never had a bad moment, I have been a happy person who wants to improve and that is what is going to take me to the version I want."

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The 6-1 victory over Monaco was not just a personal triumph for Mastantuono but a collective release for a Real Madrid side that has been under pressure. The team had been suffering from a run of poor results that had agitated the demanding Bernabeu crowd, but the emphatic nature of the Champions League win seems to have reset the atmosphere in the wake of Xabi Alonso's recent sacking.

"The personality of the team marked the match," Mastantuono noted. "We were already thinking as a team to change the dynamic, we were not coming from good results and the personality has made us connect with the people."

The Argentine believes this performance establishes a blueprint for the rest of the campaign. "We have given a version that can be improved but that can lead us to great things," he asserted. 

In a show of dressing room unity, Mastantuono also took the opportunity to defend Jude Bellingham. The English midfielder has also faced scrutiny recently, with questions raised about his form and attitude. Mastantuono vehemently rejected these suggestions, offering a rare insight into Bellingham’s daily routine at the Valdebebas training complex.

"Jude is strong, but there are things that are said that are harsh," the Argentine said, criticising the media narrative. "He is a person who is at Valdebebas from 9:30 in the morning to 6 in the evening. It is ugly that they touch your ego because he works non-stop."