Argentina embraces its new star: "Mastantuono's rise is on par with Maradona and Messi."

Franco Mastantuono is a special footballer, his appearance comparable to that of Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi . Who says this? Roberto Saporiti , a man who played against Alfredo Di Stéfano at the Santiago Bernabéu, who managed Maradona, who saw Pelé and Johan Cruyff play, and who followed Messi's career in detail. At 86, Saporiti is a living legend of Argentine football.

"Mastantuono's emergence is, in my opinion, the most shocking in Argentine football in many years. It's on par with the appearances of Maradona and Messi," Saporiti said during an interview with EL MUNDO in Buenos Aires. "The fact that Real Madrid bought him... They've examined him from a footballing perspective, and also his personal life. Intensely. They don't buy just anyone."

In 1978, in the weeks leading up to what would be Argentina's first of three World Cup titles, Saporiti found himself at odds with César Luis Menotti, his friend, yes, but also his boss as national team coach. Menotti had decided that Maradona, who had captivated Argentine football at 17, was one of the three players left out of the final World Cup squad.

Menotti and Maradona

"And I told him until the very last moment, 'Are you sure?' In one of the final training sessions, I asked him where he was putting Diego, and he said with the substitutes. They won 5-1 with four goals from Diego. I managed that training session because Menotti had a meeting with the international press. He came and told me he'd already decided who the three starting players were. And I rushed over and threw out three names. The last one, he said, 'No, he's staying.' And who's leaving? 'Diego,' he said. 'Hahahaha,' I told him. 'You're messing with me. No, Diego's leaving,' he insisted. 'Are you kidding me? How is Diego going to leave?' It was freezing cold. Menotti told me to have dinner and continue talking over coffee. Menotti never lost control, but this time he told me not to mess with the matter anymore.'

Maradona could have been a two-time world champion, but Menotti's decision probably prevented it. "I told him that strategically and politically we were making a mistake. Diego was flying, flying, he was marvelous... The training session arrived in which Menotti announced the three of them were leaving. He said something like: 'After much time and reflection, undoubtedly committing injustices... the regulations only allow me 22. Starting with this training session, so-and-so, so-and-so, and Diego are free.' Everyone was speechless. Diego got up and ran out. He didn't expect it; he was a 17-year-old kid."

A parallel is drawn with Mastantuono, who at 17 years, nine months, and 22 days old became the youngest player to debut for Argentina in an official match, on June 5th of this year, in the 1-0 win over Chile in the South American qualifiers. Forty-eight years earlier, at 16 years, three months, and 25 days old, Maradona had become the youngest player to debut for his country's senior team: it was in the 5-1 friendly win over Hungary.

The balance of the best

Can Mastantuono find the balance that Maradona couldn't always maintain? "He depends on his friends, on his family. Not on the champion's friends! Be careful with that... And on his personality to adapt to the White House," warns Saporiti. "He's going to have great teammates and world stars. It's a new world for him, at a very young age. Everything depends on him; he has all the qualities. But it's not easy. The box and the press in Madrid are very demanding."

Maradona's former coach wants to be precise in his comparison with Mastantuono. "Franco reminds me of the emergence of Maradona and Messi, who appeared and controlled their teams. But they can't yet be compared globally; you'll have to wait ten years to see what Mastantuono did. That said, his emergence is fantastic. River Plate was one thing with Mastantuono and is another without him. He's a player who creates a scoring opportunity or an assist out of nowhere, and who, playing in front of 85,000 fans at the Monumental, earned the respect of a crowd that is also very demanding."

The careers of Maradona and Messi are incomparable, two aliens, "like Alfredo Di Stéfano," adds Saporiti, who still vividly remembers January 18, 1961, the day he faced Di Stéfano at the Bernabéu. The Whites beat Deportivo Español, the Argentine Primera B champions, 6-2, who were touring Europe.

"We played against Barcelona, Espanyol, Elche, Athletic Bilbao... And the last game was at the Santiago Bernabéu. I was 20 and Di Stefano was 34. After the game we took a photo. Real Madrid's forward line was Kopa , Di Stéfano, Puskas and Gento . My goodness! Imagine... Five-time European champions. Alfredo was an extraterrestrial, a player all over the field and of all time. He ran, he provided assists, he was a player for the whole team. And Mastantuono joins that team."