Real Madrid News
Official: Real Madrid prodigy receives late call-up to Argentina national team
After initially being left out of the squad, Real Madrid prodigy Franco Mastantuono has received a late call-up to the Argentine national team.
Mastantuono, 18, joined Real Madrid last summer but has found the going tough after an encouraging start.
Pubalgia issues have hindered the young attacker, but form has not been on his side either, despite being given plentiful chances, first by Xabi Alonso and then by Alvaro Arbeloa.
So, his exclusion from the Argentina squad, which was announced a couple of days ago, hardly came as a surprise.
#SelecciónMayor Los futbolistas Franco Mastantuono y Joaquín Panichelli se suman a los convocados de Lionel Scaloni para esta doble fecha. pic.twitter.com/lx9kdHhQO7
— 🇦🇷 Selección Argentina ⭐⭐⭐ (@Argentina) March 20, 2026
However, the Albiceleste manager, Lionel Scaloni, has decided to expand his squad further and call Mastantuono up, along with young forward Joaquin Panichelli.
Argentina were initially scheduled to play Spain in the upcoming international break in the Finalissima 2026, but it ended up being cancelled.
The 2022 World Cup winners will now play friendly encounters against Mauritania (March 27) and Guatemala (March 31).
Mastantuono, who has three caps for the Argentina national team, has made 37 appearances for Real Madrid, scoring three and assisting one goal.
Meanwhile, Nico Paz of Como, who is expected to return to Real Madrid in the summer, is also a part of the Argentina squad for the upcoming matches.
With the international break done and dusted, Real Madrid will be back in action this weekend in La Liga, where they will be looking to catch up to league leaders FC Barcelona.
Coming up for Jose Mourinho & co., who lost their last game before the international break, will be a home game against Villarreal on Saturday.
And, leading up to the game, the Spanish capital club have received welcome news on the injury front.
Mbappe back in group training
Indeed, as per MARCA, Kylian Mbappe will be available for Real Madrid’s match against Villarreal at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday.
Having been training individually so far this week, the France captain rejoined group training under Mourinho today, taking a concrete step forward towards making himself available for the game.
The forward looked relaxed and ready to work, putting his boots back on and joining the group as Real Madrid prepare for a demanding run of fixtures throughout October.
And, unless there is any unforeseen setback, everything suggests that Mbappe will be ready to start against the Yellow Submarine come Saturday.
Under scrutiny
The past few weeks have been nothing short of eventful for Mbappe, with his every action and movement under heavy scrutiny.
Playing for France, in Zinedine Zidane’s managerial debut, the 27-year-old superstar scored a goal before asking for a substitution due to a knee injury.
Having flown back to Madrid, he underwent tests, which confirmed the injury, although it was not as serious as was initially feared.
The forward then took week-long holiday with his partner that sparked some debate among supporters and attracted criticism from multiple quarters.
Mbappe returned to Madrid on Monday and participated in individual sessions at Valdebebas over the past couple of days. Now he has resumed normal training with his teammates.
There had been doubts over whether Mbappe would be able to face Villarreal after he picked up the injury on 25 September.
However, the recovery plan followed by the forward appears to have worked, and he is now expected to be in a fully fit condition for Saturday’s match.
