Amad Diallo was Manchester United‘s hero at Old Trafford, scoring a last-gasp winner in the dramatic 4-3 victory against lifelong rivals Liverpool in the FA Cup quarterfinals.
The young midfielder later took to social media to celebrate the result, showing his admiration for Lionel Messi. On his TikTok account, the 21-year-old suggested his goal celebration was in honor of the Argentine star.
Diallo celebrated his last-gasp winner by taking his shirt off while showing the back of the jersey to the stands, just like Messi did in April 2017 after securing a late win for Barcelona against Real Madrid.
Many thought Diallo was taking inspiration from Cristiano Ronaldo, a Manchester United legend who also pulled off this goal celebration while playing for Real Madrid. However, the Ivorian didn’t hesitate to let everyone know he looks up to Messi.
Diallo’s dramatic winner for United
Diallo finished off a fantastic counterattack led by Alejandro Garnacho, in a seven-goal thriller that had fans on the edge of their seats until the very end. Scott McTominay put United in front after 10′, with Alexis Mac Allister and Mohamed Salah turning things around just before the break.
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The game went to extra time as Antony tied the match after 87′, but there was more room for drama in extra time. A deflected shot from Harvey Elliott got past Andre Onana, but Marcus Rashford put things level after 112′.
At 121′, when it looked like the game winner be decided on penalties, Garnacho led a great counter that was finished off by Diallo to send Old Trafford into a frenzy.
Garnacho, both a Ronaldo and Messi fan
While Diallo seems to have taken sides in the Messi-Ronaldo rivalry, teammate Garnacho has shown his devotion for Cristiano more than once. But he also holds Leo in high regard anyway.
The Spanish-born winger got to play with both stars as Garnacho spent time with Ronaldo at Old Trafford before the Portuguese left for Al-Nassr, while he played next to Messi at the Argentine national team (Garnacho was eligible to represent La Albiceleste due to his mother).
