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Real Madrid News Franco Mastantuono names the Real Madrid stars who impressed him most: ‘Gave me a lot of advice’ Franco Mastantuono’s first season at Real Madrid did not go as the club or the player would have hoped, but the experience has given the teenager a valuable glimpse of what it takes to compete at the highest level. The 19-year-old arrived in Madrid with enormous expectations and initially received significant opportunities under former manager Xabi Alonso. There were flashes of the talent that convinced the club to sign him, although his overall influence remained limited. As the season progressed, his minutes became harder to secure. Real Madrid eventually decided that regular football elsewhere would be more beneficial than keeping Mastantuono in a squad where competition for places was becoming increasingly difficult. The solution was a temporary move to Fiorentina, giving him the chance to adapt to European football while playing a more prominent role. Mastantuono names the Real Madrid players who stood out Mastantuono has nevertheless taken plenty from his first experience at the Santiago Bernabeu. In an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t Defensa Central), he reflected on the players who made the strongest impression on him. “Which players impressed me most at Real Madrid? Brahim has incredible technique, Mbappe is phenomenal, and Bellingham is incredibly good and gave me a lot of advice. “I played 35 games for Real Madrid, which is quite a lot for my age.” Mastantuono also recognises that simply being part of the Real Madrid squad is not enough. He needs consistent football to complete the next stage of his development. “It was a year of many changes with the move to Europe, which was a very positive experience,” Mastantuono stated. Loan move is not about giving up on Real Madrid Mastantuono still sees Real Madrid as the destination he ultimately wants. He considers it the best club in history and believes staying connected to that environment is the right path for his career. The decision to leave temporarily should therefore not be interpreted as a rejection of his long-term potential. Rather, it is an attempt to give him something he could not guarantee in Madrid: regular minutes and responsibility. Real Madrid News Real Madrid are already convinced Mourinho was the right man for the job Jose Mourinho was expected to return to Real Madrid with a bang, as his reputation suggested confrontation, pressure and an immediate demand for change. Yet the early picture from within the club points in another direction. According to the latest information from Jorge Picon, Mourinho has settled back into life at Real Madrid with a calmness that has surprised some of those around him. Club sources describe the coach as ‘thoughtful, calm and clearly happy to be back’. Back when Mourinho was announced, many expected the image of the Portuguese as a ‘whip’, ready to start fires wherever he saw a problem. Interestingly, though, Mourinho has behaved the opposite. Mind you, that does not mean his intensity has disappeared. Rather, it appears to have been channelled elsewhere. What are the sources saying? Mourinho has emerged from the transfer window without everything going exactly as he wanted. He would have preferred more departures, but there is still no sense of frustration towards the club. Real Madrid acted on many of his requests and also strengthened other areas of the squad. Mourinho therefore believes he has sufficient quality to compete for every available trophy. That satisfaction matters because it removes one of the biggest sources of tension surrounding his appointment. Rather than entering the season feeling that the club failed to give him the tools he wanted, Mourinho appears convinced that the squad can deliver what he expects. The bigger indication of his mindset, however, comes from his daily routine. Those who remember his first spell have recognised that he remains in constant contact with different departments and spends long hours in his office. Simply put, the fire is still there; it simply has not manifested itself in the public way many anticipated. Real Madrid happy Mourinho was chosen Certainly, it is far too early to judge Mourinho. In fact, no coach can provide any sort of guarantee, particularly at this stage of a season. What can already be judged is the direction of his return. The initial doubts surrounding the decision to bring him back have not produced the internal disruption some feared. Instead, there is growing acceptance at Real Madrid that the club made the correct choice in turning to Mourinho to restore competitiveness and direction. Notably, his calm personality should not be mistaken for reduced ambition. In fact, the opposite may be true. Mourinho appears settled, fully engaged and convinced by the squad at his disposal. The challenge now is turning that internal confidence into results. If he succeeds, the most interesting part of his return may be that Real Madrid did not get the combustible Mourinho many expected. They got the obsessive one – and, for the club, that could prove far more valuable.