When Alejandro Garnacho was called up to the Argentine national team in March, the rest of the squad already knew some things about him. Apart from the fact that he was born in Spain but was eligible for La Albiceleste because of his Argentine mother, the Manchester United was known for his devotion for Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Portuguese star has fans in Argentina as well, but not so many as Lionel Messi. In an interview with DSports, Leandro Paredes revealed the squad made jokes about Garnacho’s fascination for CR7, but only to make him feel part of the group.
“We joked about it with him. He is very shy and does not answer. Poor guy, we drove him crazy,” Paredes said, via Roy Nemer. “We also talked to him about what the group is, somehow we try to make them feel part of it and feel comfortable. Although in this case he got very nervous and couldn’t talk. But as he said, I think he is his idol, he always followed him a lot and he plays quite similar. So it’s normal, nothing happens.“
Garnacho looks up to both Ronaldo and Messi
Garnacho has never hidden his admiration for Ronaldo, recreating the Portuguese’s iconic goal celebrations on many occasions. He also let the world know how much he looks up to Cristiano on several Instagram posts.
However, that doesn’t mean the 19-year-old doesn’t admire Messi. While many tend to pick between one or the other, Garnacho has always shown he idolizes both legends.
“Obviously, when he (Garnacho) comes to the national team he has to change a little bit because there is ours (Messi),” Paredes said. Anyway, Garnacho may not need to be reminded about that.
Not only did he dedicate an Instagram post to Leo the first time he saw him at the Argentina camp, but Messi also looked for him to celebrate a free-kick goal against Ecuador in March.
