The 17-year-old sensation looks to be the latest heir to one of the club’s most distinctive traditions.

• River Plate have a rich history of outstanding left-footed players
• Franco Mastantuono is continuing this tradition
• FIFA looks at previous leftie magicians who have starred for Los Millonarios 

Franco Mastantuono is CA River Plate’s 17-year-old rising star. There is something unique about his style: rangy, fluid, elegant. The moment the ball touches his feet, the possibilities seem to multiply. He can dribble with the right foot or the left, strike with the instep or the outside of his boot, float the ball with the inside or jab it with the toe. However, what sets him apart is his cultured left foot, which, alongside the No10, is still the most iconic symbol of Argentinian football, from Diego Maradona to Lionel Messi.

River Plate, who will represent Argentina at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™, have long enjoyed a particular affinity with left-footed specialists. While many of the side’s iconic playmakers have been right-footed – Marcelo Gallardo, Enzo Francescoli, Pablo Aimar, Ariel Ortega and Javier Saviola – that has not dulled this mythos.

In an interview with La Nación in 2016, River coach Marcelo Gallardo discussed the abundance of players who favoured the left in his squad: “It’s interesting, it’s very unusual to have so many lefties in one team. We have so much left-footed attacking talent, and they’re often all on the pitch at the same time. But I have no doubt they can coexist. I believe in intelligent players, those who solve complex problems with ease.”

River's current crop also includes several left-footers. Ignacio Fernandez, Pity Martinez, Matias Rojas and Ian Subiabre match that description, but Mastantuono is the standout. His free-kick screamer against Boca in the blockbuster league clash in the last weekend of April was a moment of pure quality.