Rio Ferdinand claims Lionel Messi “unfollowed” Alejandro Garnacho because of the Manchester United star’s position on Cristiano Ronaldo.
Garnacho’s name has been on everyone’s lips since his spectacular overhead kick three minutes into Goodison Park’s 3-0 win over Everton on Sunday.
The teenager acrobatically rifled a volley past Jordan Pickford and into the far corner before spinning away to Ronaldo’s characteristic celebration.
Garnacho has long admired Ronaldo, even admitting that the five-time Ballon d’Or winner is his idol.
Messi even unfollowed Garnacho on social media for his backing of Ronaldo, according to ex-United center-back Ferdinand.
Ferdinand said on his podcast Vibe with Five in response to Garnacho’s intention to mimic Ronaldo’s celebration against Everton: “You know what I appreciate about him? He doesn’t give a fuck.
“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.”
While Garnacho plays alongside Messi for Argentina, it was reported on social media in April 2022 that the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner had unfollowed the United youth because he tweeted a picture of Ronaldo and called the Portuguese player the greatest of all time.
Just three weeks prior, Garnacho posted a photo of himself with Messi, describing the Argentina captain as an “idol.”
When asked to choose between Garnacho’s overhead kick and Wayne Rooney’s Manchester Derby strike in 2011, Ferdinand said, “Garnacho. One came from a shin pad, the other from his boot. I apologize, Wazza.
“I was in my house in the front room with my family and we went ballistic. It was nuts.
“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.”
