Alejandro Garnacho: From Manchester United Phenomenon to Ronaldo's Number 7 Successor

Alejandro Garnacho: From Manchester United Phenomenon to Ronaldo's Number 7 Successor

Alejandro Garnacho(Getty)

 If we make a brief list of future stars or the best upcoming footballers of the time, Alejandro Garnacho will be on top. This Argentine winger, following in the footsteps of Cristiano Ronaldo, has emerged as a phenomenal talent from Manchester United, ending the previous season in great form. He was also crowned in the Argentine national team a few days ago.

It is only natural for Garnacho to dream of playing alongside the two best footballers of this century, Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Not only on the field but off the field as well, Garnacho spends his time enjoying their company. He recently turned 19, leaving his teenage years behind. On his special day, Messi and Ronaldo both came to wish him a joyful evening.

Alejandro Garnacho

Surprised? This Messi-Ronaldo duo is not real. Instead, they were two mischievous individuals known as the "Left Messi-Ronaldo." "Left Messi" represented Argentina, while "Left Ronaldo" wore the jersey of Portugal. Although there are claims from a few individuals present there that "Mini Messi" was the one wearing the jersey, it was actually Lisandro Martinez, a member of Garnacho's club and the national team.

On Garnacho's birthday cake, the Argentine national flag and the logo of the Football Association (AFA) were beautifully designed, while Messi-Ronaldo stood beside him in pictures. This image has now become a topic of discussion in social media due to its popularity.

On Garner's birthday cake, there was a written '19' on top of a football pattern, which naturally indicated his 19th birthday. However, in the middle section of the cake, there was a written '7'. This number created curiosity among the fans. A few days ago, European media reported that United coach Erik Ten Hag's trust in Garner earned him Cristiano Ronaldo's iconic number 7 jersey for the upcoming season. After seeing the number '7' on the birthday cake, the fans became even more excited.

Alejandro Garnacho

In 2021, after a long transfer saga, Ronaldo returned to United. Edinson Cavani graciously handed Ronaldo his familiar 'number 7' jersey. However, Ronaldo's second chapter at the English Premier League's most successful club did not bring much success. After Eric ten Hag became the coach of Manchester United, Ronaldo found himself on the bench. Last year, in an explosive interview with journalist Piers Morgan, he made controversial remarks about the club and the coach, which led to the cancellation of his contract with United.

Since leaving Old Trafford in the middle of the 2022-23 season, Ronaldo hasn't been given the number 7 jersey to anyone. According to Premier League rules, during the season, no player can change their jersey number. Now, after the season is over, there are no restrictions on wearing the iconic jersey number anymore.

Garner, who has been wearing the number 49 jersey for United all this time, will receive his ideal Ronaldo jersey in the upcoming season. Young winger Tahith Chong shared a photo with the number 7 written in his Instagram story, emulating Ronaldo himself. Now, he wants to emulate Ronaldo in his own way.

Last season, while playing for United, Garner scored 5 goals and provided 4 assists in 34 matches. Looking at these statistics, one might think, "Is this all?" However, out of those 34 matches, he was substituted in only 19 of them. He was on the field for the full 90 minutes in just 2 matches. Due to injuries, he was outside the field in 7 matches. Garner made the most of these limited opportunities, which was enough to earn him Ronaldo's number 7 jersey. As the new "Number Seven" of United, Garner will surely get more playing time in the upcoming season.