Alejandro Garnacho, the young star in Scaloni’s list: the Madrid native who feels Argentinian and asks for the Selection

Scaloni gave the first list of the Argentine national team after the consecration to the World Cup in Qatar, and among the 26 champions, Lionel Messi, Ángel Di Maria and Dibu Martínez appears the name of whom many point to as a future Albiceleste crack: Alejandro Garnacio.

Garnacho has a raw nerve within the reach of very few players. Especially at his age. At 18, this youngster from Madrid is already the big sensation in this season’s ‘Premier League’: for his overflow, his electricity, a scoring ability that is beginning to appear and for his star character.

The praise comes after a very busy week. Over the past seven days, he’s been involved in eliminating Barcelona in the Europa League, winning Manchester United’s first title in five years and progressing to the quarter-finals in the FA Cup. Now, we must add Scaloni’s call to dress the blue-and-whites.

In his last game he scored the 2-1 goal in injury time, an example of what Garnacho means. A ball came down from the sky and he didn’t think about it. He didn’t look at any of his team-mates, looked for a direct shot on goal and scored the goal that eliminated West Ham United.

“He’s very good,” Erik Ten Hag said of him. “There aren’t many players who can tackle an opponent and dribble. He has a lot of energy, he’s fast and he can go on like this,” he added.

All this with his hair dyed white, a la Paul Gascoigne, a “look” he showed before the duel against Barcelona, ​​​​​​in which he knew that all eyes in football would be focused on him.

He entered the field 20 minutes from the end and one of his shots, rebounding off the defense, led to the final 2-1 signed by Antony.

But its impact doesn’t just come down to the playing field. When the game was over, he tinged that impudence with mockery. He brings his fingers to his eyes and imitates Pedri’s exultation, who couldn’t be on the pitch that day due to disqualification. In addition, she uploaded her photo to her social networks and accompanied it with a text: “The great team has passed.”

In the League Cup final he was not featured in the match, but did so after him when the Argentine flag was worn, clarifying what its choice is when representing a selection. Garnacho, born in Madrid, can choose between Spain or Argentina, where his mother comes from.

His football history

His growth in Madrid took him through the lower tiers of Getafe and Atlético de Madrid, from which he left in October 2020 attracted by scouts from Manchester United.

At the age of 16, Garnacho joined the English club’s youth team and started making strides in his career. In his first season he scored 7 goals in 18 games for United’s Under 18 team and made his debut for the Spanish team in October. He played three friendlies, against Turkey, Romania and Portugal, under the orders of Pablo Amo, now on Luis de la Fuente’s technical staff.

However, Garnacho decided in early 2022 to make the pass with Argentina and start playing with the sub-20 Albiceleste, with whom he has already played five games, as well as being included in a previous list with the absolute team and being very close to the first leg at the last World Cup in Qatar.

His latest promise came last season when he scored twice in the FA Youth Cup Final at Old Trafford. Garnacho scored seven goals in six games to give United that title for the first time in ten years.

At the end of the season he enjoyed his first minutes with the first team and his family’s tears from the stands showed what he meant to all of them.

He hardly played more than ten minutes between games, but Garnacho started training regularly over the summer and, despite some warnings from Ten Hag for his behaviorHe is already a starter in the formations.

Now he contributes with important goals. He scored the winners against Real Sociedad, Fulham and West Ham United, as well as closing the game against Leeds United.

With a contract expiring in a year and a half and which places him among the lowest paid in the squad, in the next few days Garnacho will sign an extension which will improve his conditions and which will tie him to Old Trafford for years to come. A smart move by a club that knows they have one of the greatest talents of the future in their hands.