Alejandro Garnacho

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Garnacho and the second or maternal family name is Ferreyra.
Alejandro Garnacho
Garnacho playing for Manchester United in 2022
Personal information
Full name Alejandro Garnacho Ferreyra[1]
Date of birth (2004-07-01) 1 July 2004 (age 20)[2]
Place of birth Madrid, Spain
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[2]
Position(s) Winger
Team information
Current team
 Manchester United
Number 17
Youth career
–2015 Getafe
2015–2020 Atlético Madrid
2020–2022 Manchester United
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2022– Manchester United 74 (13)
International career‡
2021 Spain U18 3 (0)
2022 Argentina U20 5 (4)
2023– Argentina 8 (0)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Argentina
Copa América
Winner 2024 United States
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:22, 26 December 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 03:24, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

Alejandro Garnacho Ferreyra (born 1 July 2004) is a professional footballer who plays as a winger for Premier League club Manchester United and the Argentina national team.

Garnacho joined Manchester United's youth system from Atlético Madrid in October 2020. He won the FA Youth Cup and the Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year award in May 2022. The month prior, he had made his first-team debut at the age of 17.

Garnacho initially went through the youth ranks of Spain, the country of his birth, before making his debut for Argentina at under-20 level in 2022. He made his debut for the senior Argentina team in June 2023, and was a member of the squad that won the 2024 Copa América title.

Club career

Early career

Born in Madrid, Garnacho joined Atlético Madrid's youth system in 2015 from Getafe.[3]

Manchester United

Youth career

In October 2020, Garnacho joined the Manchester United Academy.[4] United paid Atlético a £420,000 fee.[5] He signed his first professional contract with the club in July 2021.[5]

Garnacho came under the spotlight for his solo goal in the FA Youth Cup win over Everton, which was nominated for United's Goal of the Month award for February 2022.[6] After being named as an unused substitute for several Premier League matches, Garnacho made his first-team debut for United on 28 April, replacing Anthony Elanga in the 91st minute of a 1–1 draw against Chelsea.[7] Garnacho won the Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year award in May.[8] He scored twice in the final of the FA Youth Cup against Nottingham Forest on 11 May, helping United win the competition for the first time since 2011.[9]

2022–23: Breakthrough and rise to the first-team

Garnacho (left) with Manchester United in 2022

For the start of the 2022–23 Premier League season, he changed his shirt number from 75 to 49.[10] On 4 October, he scored a late winner for United's U-21 against Barrow in the 2022–23 EFL Trophy.[11] Garnacho made his first senior start for United on 27 October, in a 3–0 win over Moldovan team Sheriff Tiraspol in the UEFA Europa League, whereafter he was praised by manager Erik ten Hag for his improvement over the past few weeks, saying that though previously dissatisfied, he was happy with Garnacho's improved attitude and resilience.[12] On 3 November, he scored his first senior goal in a Europa League match against Real Sociedad with an assist from his idol Cristiano Ronaldo.[13] Garnacho scored his first goal in the Premier League on 13 November, an injury-time winner against Fulham.[14] On 14 January 2023 in the Manchester derby, Garnacho set up Marcus Rashford's 82nd-minute winner in a 2–1 win against Manchester City.[15] On 14 March, Garnacho announced he would be sidelined for several weeks after suffering an ankle ligament injury during a game against Southampton.[16] On 28 April, Garnacho signed a new contract extension that will last until 30 June 2028.[17] On 13 May, Garnacho returned from two months out with injury, scoring the second goal in a 2–0 victory against Wolves.[18]

2023–24: Established first-team regular and FA Cup title

At the beginning of the 2023–24 Premier League season, Manchester United announced that Garnacho's squad number would be changed from 49 to 17.[19] On 3 September, in a 3–1 away defeat to Arsenal, Garnacho scored in the 88th minute, but the goal was controversially ruled out by VAR for offside. Had the goal stood, United would have led 2–1.[20] On 26 November, Garnacho scored his first league goal of the season with a bicycle kick from 15 yards (14 m) out to open the scoring in a 3–0 win over Everton, earning him the Premier League Goal of the Month for November 2023,[21] and eventually the Premier League Goal of the Season.[22] Three days later, Garnacho scored his first Champions League goal in a 3–3 away draw against Galatasaray.[23] On 26 December, Garnacho scored two goals in a 3–2 comeback win against Aston Villa.[24][25] On 4 February 2024, he scored another brace in a 3–0 win over West Ham United.[26] On 4 April, he scored twice once again, this time in a 4–3 away defeat to Chelsea, becoming the first teenager to score multiple braces in three Premier League matches in a single season since Michael Owen in 1998–99.[27] In the FA Cup final on 25 May, Garnacho scored the opening goal in an eventual 2–1 win over Manchester City.[28] His goal in the final was the first for a teenager since Cristiano Ronaldo in 2004, and he also became the second Argentinian to score after Ricardo Villa’s brace for Tottenham Hotspur also against City in 1981.[29]

2024–25

Ganacho, alongside Ruud van Nistelrooy in 2024

On 10 August 2024, in the FA Community Shield, Garnacho opened the scoring against Manchester City. The match eventually ended in a 1–1 draw and went to penalties, and although Garnacho converted his penalty, United lost the shoot-out 7–6.[30] On 14 September, he scored his first league goal for the season in a 3–0 away win over Southampton, having entered the pitch as a substitute.[31] On 17 September, he scored two goals and provided two assists in United's 7–0 rout of Barnsley in the third round of the EFL Cup.[32]

On 27 October, Garnacho made his 100th appearance for Manchester United in a 2–1 defeat to West Ham United at London Stadium;[33] manager Erik ten Hag was sacked less than 24 hours after the result, with assistant Ruud van Nistelrooy taking charge on an interim basis. Prior to a Europa League match against PAOK on 7 November, a clip emerged on social media of a fan verbally abusing Garnacho while signing autographs. Three days later, in Van Nistelrooy's final match as interim, he scored United's third goal in their 3–0 win over Leicester City. He did not celebrate the goal as, according to United captain Bruno Fernandes, he felt he had "lost faith" from some supporters.[34]

New head coach Ruben Amorim dropped Garnacho alongside Marcus Rashford from the squad completely for the Manchester derby on 15 December 2024, which United won 2–1. Two days later, on 17 December, it was announced that Garnacho had won the FIFA Puskás Award for the best goal of 2023, for his goal against Everton the previous season.[35]

International career

Garnacho was eligible to play for his country of birth, Spain, and Argentina, as his mother is Argentine.[36] He made three appearances for the Spain under-18 team in 2021.[37]

On 7 March 2022, Garnacho was called up to the senior Argentina team as part of an initial 44-man squad for their two World Cup qualifiers that month.[38] He made it to the final 33-man squad for the fixtures,[39][40] but did not make an appearance in either game.[41]

Garnacho made his debut for the Argentina under-20 side on 26 March, when he started in a friendly match against the United States.[42] He scored four goals in four appearances[37] for the under-20 team at the 2022 Maurice Revello Tournament winning the Revelation Player and Goal of the Tournament awards.[43][44]

In March 2023, he was called up once again to the senior Argentina team for two friendly matches against Panama and Curaçao,[45][46] but had to withdraw from the squad after suffering an ankle injury.[16] He made his debut for the senior team on 15 June, during a friendly against Australia at Workers' Stadium, coming on as a substitute for Nicolás González during the second half of the game.[47]

In June 2024, Garnacho was included in Lionel Scaloni's final 26-man Argentina squad for the 2024 Copa América, going on to win the tournament.[48]

Style of play

An energetic forward, Garnacho has been praised for his speed and dribbling abilities, as well as his ability to create chances and get into the box.[49] He is considered one of the most promising prospects of Manchester United's academy. At United, he has frequently been deployed as a winger on either the left or right flank. United coach Mike Phelan described him as "everything that Manchester United is about" and "an intelligent player who understands his role in the team".[50]

His style of play has been heavily influenced by that of former United teammate Cristiano Ronaldo, whom he idolizes. He frequently performs Ronaldo's iconic goal celebrations when scoring goals himself.[51]

Personal life

Garnacho was born in Madrid to a Spanish father, Alex Garnacho, and an Argentine mother, Patricia Ferreyra Fernández.[52] He has a younger brother named Roberto. His father Alex is closely associated with management firm, Leader Sports Management, who currently represent Garnacho.[52]

Garnacho and his girlfriend, Eva, have a son, Enzo, who was born on 4 October 2023.[53]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 26 December 2024[54]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup EFL Cup Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Manchester United U21 2021–22[55] — — — — 1[a] 0 1 0
2022–23[56] — — — — 2[a] 1 2 1
Total — — — — 3 1 3 1
Manchester United 2021–22[55] Premier League 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 2 0
2022–23[56] Premier League 19 3 4 1 5 0 6[b] 1 — 34 5
2023–24[57] Premier League 36 7 6 1 2 1 6[c] 1 — 50 10
2024–25[58] Premier League 17 3 0 0 3 3 6[b] 1 1[d] 1 27 8
Total 74 13 10 2 10 4 18 3 1 1 113 23
Career total 74 13 10 2 10 4 18 3 4 2 116 24
  1. ^ a b Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy
  2. ^ a b Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  3. ^ Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  4. ^ Appearance in FA Community Shield

International

As of match played 14 November 2024[59]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Argentina 2023 3 0
2024 5 0
Total 8 0

Honours

Manchester United U18

Manchester United

Argentina

Individual

References

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  66. ^ @BBCMOTD (19 May 2024). "💥 The winner is ALEJANDRO GARNACHO 🤩 His spectacular overhead kick against Everton is the 2023-24 Goal of the Season 👏 #MOTD" (Tweet). Retrieved 26 May 2024 – via Twitter.
  67. ^ Ganley, Joe (25 May 2024). "Garnacho wins Goal of the Season". Manchester United Football Club. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
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