Real Madrid kicks off its Club World Cup campaign this Wednesday against Al Hilal, and ahead of the match, Xabi Alonso spoke to the media and dropped several headlines. But if one name stole the spotlight, it was Franco Mastantuono. The young Argentine hasn’t even made his debut for the club, and he’s already got the Spanish coach completely smitten.

Xabi full of praise before the Club World Cup debut

Speaking about the new gem who will land at the Bernabéu in August, Xabi was clear: “We’re happy with Franco because he’s a kid with a fantastic present and a brilliant future. I was impressed by our conversations — his ambition and maturity really stood out. We’ve been following him at River, where he’s played an important role. We’ll have him in August. I really liked his ambition”. The manager admitted he kept an eye on him during River Plate’s 3-1 win over Urawa, where the youngster showed his quality.

The challenge of building the new Madrid

Alonso now faces the puzzle of fitting so much talent together — a challenge that already gave Carlo Ancelotti headaches in his final spell at the helm. But the former Bayer Leverkusen boss approaches it with confidence. He knows exactly how he wants to position each piece, and the weight of the Madrid bench doesn’t seem to faze him.

Passion and character: Xabi’s first impression of Franco

Finally, the coach highlighted what impressed him most during his first interaction with the Argentine starlet: “The first contact was really good. I’d seen him before, and in ten seconds everything I’d heard about him was confirmed. He’s very passionate and emotional. You have to stay close to players like that. I really like having players like him. We just need to use him in the best position. He’s got a big heart”.