Real Madrid chief scout Juni Calafat has been responsible for some of the greatest transfer market finds of the last decade, and he has built the current Madrid juggernaut in a way that every other elite club is trying to model.
Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo Goes, and Fede Valverde were all underrated talents from Europe signed by Real Madrid at Calafat’s request, and the veteran scout also pushed for bigger signings like Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga as “musts”. He even pushed Real Madrid to choose the cheaper Eder Militao over Matthijs de Ligt, proven wholly right in the end.
So when Calafat makes a recommendation, Real Madrid listen without hesitation. He has earned the full trust of president Florentino Perez, CEO Jose Angel Sanchez, and the entire fanbase.
According to a report from Diario Ole in Argentina, Juni Calafat loves River Plate attacking midfielder Franco Mastantuono, and now Jose Angel Sanchez has given the go-ahead for Real Madrid to pursue him as a signing.
Real Madrid aren’t the only club interested in Mastantuono, but because of Calafat’s intense interest in the 16-year-old playmaker, Los Blancos appear to be the early favorites to sign him.
After dragging their feet on Julian Alvarez a couple of years ago, only to watch him join forces with Erling Haaland for 2023 Champions League winners Manchester City, Real Madrid won’t want to miss out on this latest River Plate sensation.
If Calafat is sold on Mastantuono, Real Madrid won’t worry too much about having so many other great young attacking midfielders like 2023 summer signings Jude Bellingham, Arda Guler, and Brahim Diaz.
A rare left-footed playmaking talent, Mastantuono has the tools to be world football’s next big sensation. As with Vinicius Jr, and Rodrygo, Real Madrid appear to have the early lead on Mastantuono over bitter rivals Barcelona.
The managing editor of The Trivela Effect, Kevin has 15 years of experience in digital media. He has been an editor for NFL Spin Zone, Daily DDT for pro wrestling, Autzen Zoo covering the Oregon Ducks, Musket Fire covering the New England Patriots, The Real Champs covering Real Madrid, Old Juve covering Juventus, Rush The Kop covering Liverpool, and Release The Knappen covering Schalke. His work has been featured in ESPN, Bleacher Report, Yahoo! Sports, NBC Sports, and other outlets. You can contact him at the site’s official Twitter handle @TrivelaEffect or via the site’s official email thetrivelaeffect@gmail.com.