REAL Madrid fans are under fire after chants of “Franco, Franco” rang out at the Santiago Bernabeu — sparking fury just months before the 50th anniversary of Spanish dictator General Francisco Franco’s death.
But the chants weren’t (officially) for the fascist leader… they were for the club’s flashy new Argentine signing, 18-year-old Franco Mastantuono — but not everyone is buying that explanation.
The teenage forward, snapped up for a whopping €63.2 million, made his debut on August 19 in a La Liga clash against Osasuna — and as soon as he stepped onto the pitch, parts of the crowd erupted in chants of “Franco! Franco!”
Whether the fans were cheering for the kid or evoking Spain’s dark Francoist past, one thing is clear — it’s left a very bad taste.
Real Madrid have long been seen as the club of the establishment, enjoying historic links with Spain’s elite — and many still associate the club with Franco-era favouritism, even half a century after the dictator’s death.
So when fans start chanting “Franco” in a stadium that bears the name of Santiago Bernabéu — a man who ran the club during Franco’s regime — it’s no surprise that alarm bells are ringing.
Critics say it’s impossible to separate the name from the notorious generalissimo, whose rule from 1939 to 1975 was marked by brutal repression and political purges. As Spain gears up to mark 50 years since his death this November, the memory is anything but forgotten.
Tabloid TV host Josep Pedrerol tried to play down the scandal on cult footy show El Chiringuito, saying: “A debate has started, but I’m not going to renounce a name due to something that happened 40 years ago.”
But many see that as tone-deaf.
With fascist graffiti still popping up in parts of Spain, and polarisation in Spanish politics alive and well, chanting “Franco” — even for a lad with that name on his birth certificate — feels like pouring petrol on a political fire.
While the player’s shirt reads Mastantuono — his surname — fans may want to consider chanting something else. “Franco” might be his first name, but shouting it at full volume in a packed Madrid stadium? It’s a PR nightmare waiting to happen.
Some supporters have floated alternatives like ‘Mastan, Mastan!’ — a nickname that doesn’t carry 40 years of authoritarian baggage.
Whether intentional or not, the chants have reignited questions over Real Madrid’s legacy, its ties to power, and Spain’s still-divisive historical memory.
With the club gunning for yet another La Liga title and Mastantuono tipped to be the next big thing, this controversy is unlikely to disappear quietly.
Click here to read more Madrid News from The Olive Press.