Real Madrid News
Official: Franco Mastantuono’s shirt number at Real Madrid confirmed
Having signed for the club nearly two months ago, Franco Mastantuono is finally set to be presented as a new Real Madrid player today.
The occasion coincides with his 18th birthday, as the Argentine prodigy gets set to begin this new chapter in his burgeoning career.
Mastantuono will wear No. 30 at Real Madrid
Having arrived at the club facilities and undergone his medicals, Mastantuono then posed with Real Madrid president Florentino Perez for his official photograph.
And it is then when it was revealed that the 18-year-old versatile attacking midfielder will wear the No. 30 at Real Madrid.
Coming into his presentation day, there had been speculations about the shirt number as it was previously suggested that he would be handed the No. 25 by Los Blancos and be registered as a first-team player.
However, the Spanish capital giants have gone a different route and given Mastantuono a reserve team number for his first season at the club, even though he will be fully involved with the senior squad.
The idea is that they wish to leave a spot in the first-team squad open for any late movements or signings that might be made.
As such, Mastantuono will wear No. 30 at Real Madrid in his debut season.
Real Madrid will be looking to pick up their fifth win of the 2026/27 La Liga season when they take on Elche CF at Estadio Manuel Martinez Valero later tonight.
With 12 points from five games, Los Blancos are currently second in the league table, three points below leaders FC Barcelona.
As such, the Spanish capital club will be eager to get the win and close the gap to the top.
Guler starts, Bellingham rested
Ahead of kickoff, Real Madrid have announced the starting lineup that will take the field against Elche, with Jose Mourinho making some important changes.
For starters, Arda Guler is back in the lineup after appearing as a substitute in the win over Rayo Vallecano.
Interestingly, however, he starts in the attacking midfield role, with Mourinho opting to rest Jude Bellingham, who has started all of Real Madrid’s games so far.
That also means that Yan Diomande retains his place in the team, starting for a second time in a row on the right wing. Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr. continue in their respective positions in attack.
Another notable change sees Aurelien Tchouameni make his first start of the season after recovering from injury and making two appearances off the bench.
He replaces Bernardo Silva as Federico Valverde’s partner in the middle of the park.
Meanwhile, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Marc Cucurella come in as full-backs, while Ibrahima Konate and Dean Huijsen slot in at centre-back in front of goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
📋✅ ¡Nuestro XI inicial!
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) September 15, 2026
🆚 @ElcheCF
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