Lionel Messi “unfollowed” Alejandro Garnacho because of the Manchester United star’s stance on Cristiano Ronaldo, Rio Ferdinand has claimed.
Garnacho has been the name branded on the football world’s lips after his sensational overhead kick on Sunday, three minutes into a 3-0 win over Everton at Goodison Park.
The teenager acrobatically rifled a volley past Jordan Pickford and into the far corner, before wheeling away to the corner flag to perform Ronaldo’s trademark celebration.
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Garnacho has long been an admirer of Ronaldo, having publicly admitted the five-time Ballon d’Or winner is his idol.
And according to ex-United centre-back Ferdinand, Messi even unfollowed Garnacho on social media for his support of Ronaldo.
Reacting to Garnacho's decision to copy Ronaldo's celebration against Everton, Ferdinand said on his podcast Vibe with Five: “You know what I like about him? He doesn't give a f***.
“Garnacho told me that Messi unfollowed him just because he makes no secret of preferring Ronaldo.
“He comes out, don't care, ‘I'm a Ronaldo man’. Who's the GOAT? Ronaldo. (Even) when he's in the Argentina squad.”
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While Garnacho plays alongside Messi for Argentina, it had been claimed on social media back in April 2022 that the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner had unfollowed the United youngster on social media because he posted a picture of Ronaldo and labelled the Portuguese star the greatest of all time.
Just three weeks earlier, Garnacho had shared an image of himself alongside Messi, referring to the Argentina captain as an “idol”.
When asked which overhead kick was better between Garnacho and Wayne Rooney’s Manchester Derby strike back in 2011, Ferdinand added: “Garnacho. One was off a shin pad, the other was off his boot. I'm sorry, Wazza.
“I was in my house in the front room with my family and we went ballistic. It was nuts.
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“Even my little boy, his tooth had just fallen out, he fell and his tooth just got knocked out, he was trying to do overhead kicks in the living room like probably millions of little kids around the world at the time.
“That goal is better than Rooney's. He was running away from the goal, a bit further away from the goal, at an angle. It was an unbelievable, breathtaking moment.”
Featured Image Credit: GettyTopics: Lionel Messi, Alejandro Garnacho, Manchester United, Premier League, Cristiano Ronaldo, Argentina, Rio Ferdinand