The young Argentine midfielder Franco Mastantuono, who has signed for Real Madrid for six seasons, has published an emotional farewell message from River Plate, which he considers his “home” and his “family” to face “an opportunity “unique” in life.

“With my heart in my hand and many mixed emotions, I want to tell you that I have to take a very important step in my career: a new stage opens, in another club, in another place, with new challenges. It is a unique opportunity, one of those that only comes along once in a lifetime, and that any kid who dreams of playing football longs for since they are children,” says the young 17-year-old player in the message published on his social networks.

“River is not only the club where I grew up as a player. It is my home, my family, the place where I learned what it means to wear this shirt with pride, with respect, with a hunger for glory,” explained Mastantuono.

“Every training session at the grounds,” he continues, “every afternoon at the Monumental, every piece of advice from a teacher, every hug from a teammate, will be forever engraved in my history and in my heart. I leave full of gratitude. To the fans, for the unconditional love. To all the people at the club for training me. To my teammates, for sharing this passion. And to my family, for always being there.”

The Argentine indicates that River “taught him that dreams are pursued with humility, effort, and love for the shirt” and makes it very clear that his “dream of winning things with River hasn’t disappeared. It hasn’t gone away. Only the order has changed.”

“Today it’s my turn to go out, grow, live new experiences, and learn. But the desire remains intact, stronger than ever. I know what will happen. Because dreams felt with the soul don’t have an expiration date. Thank you, River, for everything. It’s not goodbye, it’s see you soon,” he adds, anticipating a future return.