Alejandro Garnacho overtook George Best as Manchester United's youngest non-English goalscorer in European competition during the club's 1-0 win against Real Sociedad on Thursday. The Argentine celebrated this feat by paying tribute to his 'idol' Cristiano Ronaldo by producing the Portuguese striker's latest trademark celebration.
Young sensation Alejandro Garnacho scored the only goal for Manchester United in their 1-0 win against Real Sociedad in their Europa League clash on Thursday. After overtaking George Best as the Red Devils' youngest non-English goalscorer in European competition, the 18-year-old paid tribute to his 'idol' Cristiano Ronaldo as he produced the Portuguese legend's latest trademark celebration.
Despite United's win at the Reale Arena in Spain, the Red Devils failed to secure the top spot in their Europa League group. Erik ten Hag's men needed to win the Europa League clash by two clear goals to pip the hosts in Group E. However, what would have pleased supporters of the club was to see a young talent like Garnacho score his first goal, which came from an assist from Ronaldo.
The five-time winner of the Ballon d'Or noticed Garnarcho running down the left side of the field, placed an intelligent ball into his path, and then watched like a proud parent as the United starlet blasted a goal past Álex Remiro. The Argentine was quick to replicate Ronaldo's 'sleeping' celebration, which the 37-year-old legendary striker unveiled after scoring his 700th club career goal at Everton last month.
Taking to Instagram after scoring his first Manchester United goal, Garnacho said, "18 years and 125 days dreaming of this moment. Thanks Idol, @cristiano." Ronaldo's 'Siuuu' celebration was a rage worldwide, with athletes across sports performing the Portuguese icon's trademark style to celebrate a win. 'Siuuu' has now been replaced with the 'sleeping' style, where the striker interlocks his fingers in front of his chest and closes his eyes.
According to Manchester United's official website, the latest Ronaldo celebration is based on how the iconic striker sleeps while travelling with the rest of the squad. "We can now reveal that Ronaldo's celebration was a self-deprecating in-joke with his fellow team-mates, highlighting the strong bonds among the players in Erik ten Hag's squad," the club stated.
"Of course, Cristiano (Ronaldo) is renowned for looking after himself and ensuring he is always in the best possible condition, which naturally involves hours of hard work on the training pitch and in the gym. It also includes resting at the right moments and ensuring he has enough sleep to aid his recovery: it has previously been reported that Ronaldo naps several times a day! CR7's celebration at Everton was amusingly a nod to the position in which he sleeps when travelling with the squad, which hasn't gone unnoticed by his team-mates who are all eager to learn from him," Manchester United added.