Manchester United star Alejandro Garnacho spotted wearing jersey of Cristiano Ronaldo's Saudi Pro League rivals, fans react
Fans think Alejandro Garnacho may have risked his former Manchester United teammate Cristiano Ronaldo's wrath by donning Al-Ittihad's jersey. The Argentine attacker idolizes the Al-Nassr superstar.
Garnacho, 20, took a selfie of himself enjoying the off-season with Facundo Pellistri. He was wearing Al-Ittihad's home shirt while sitting out the Red Devils' tour of the United States after he participated in Copa America with Argentina.
Fans are puzzled as to why Garnacho opted to wear an Al-Ittihad shirt, given he's a massive fan of Ronaldo. The attacker produced one of the five-time Ballon d'Or winner's trademark celebrations after scoring his first-ever senior goal.
Cristiano Ronaldo, 39, left Manchester United in November 2022 and headed to the Saudi Pro League with Al-Nassr two months later. He's Al-Alami's captain and has come up against Al-Ittihad on several occasions in the Middle East.
Garnacho was recently forced to rubbish suggestions he'd snubbed Lionel Messi because of his admiration of his longtime rival Ronaldo. Given fans' responses to the snap, he might have some more explaining to do again.
One fan wrote on X (formerly Twitter):
"I thought (Garnacho)’s Saudi team would Al Nassr."
Another fan felt it was odd:
"Garnacho wearing Al-Ittihad shirt is strange tbh."
One fan asked:
"His idol plays for Al Nassr, why's he wearing Al Ittihad's jersey?"
Another fan made a bold claim:
"Garnacho wears Ronaldo's rival team he doesn't respect Ronaldo."
"Very exciting" - Nani explains why Manchester United's Garnacho reminds him of himself not Cristiano Ronaldo
Garnacho shined at Manchester United last season, flourishing on both wings. The former Atletico Madrid academy youngster bagged 10 goals and five assists in 50 games across competitions.
The six-cap Argentina international has earned comparisons to his idol, Cristiano Ronaldo. Many feel he's enjoying a similar rise to the Red Devils icon at Old Trafford.
Nani is reminded of himself when watching Garnacho and points out that he wears his old No.17 shirt. He told The Mirror last season:
"When I watch Garnacho, he reminds me of myself. He even has the No.17 shirt – the same number I wore. When he changed to that number this season, he started scoring some goals, so that's been good for him."
Nani was a fan favorite during his six-year spell at Manchester United. He posted 41 goals and 70 assists in 230 games across competitions. He was renowned for his pace, silky skillset, and eye for goal.
The Portuguese winger, currently without a club, delved into Garnacho's style highlighting how it shows traits of himself rather than Cristiano Ronaldo:
"He's not afraid of taking defenders on, making the runs, making assists. He's a very good player, he has so much time to improve his game and get stronger. He will be fantastic in the future. His game is more similar to mine when I was at United than Cristiano's. He's a very exciting player and I hope in the future he can win titles with the club and help it to be successful again."
Garnacho has become an undisputed starter under Erik ten Hag and could be eyeing eventually wearing Manchester United's famous No.7. That is the shirt number synonymous with Cristiano Ronaldo.