Lionel Messi, an Argentine, grew up idolizing the country’s greatest soccer icon, Diego Maradona. Nowadays, Argentine youngsters idolize Messi, because this has been his era. Chelsea‘s blockbuster signing, Enzo Fernandez is a classic example. But have all Argentines looked up to their legendary compatriots in their soccer journey? No. Albiceleste sensation Alejandro Garnacho is both famous and controversial for being an ardent follower of Cristiano Ronaldo. Surprisingly, he is not alone out there. Midfielder, Carlos Alcaraz is another CR7 fan from La Pulga’s homeland.

Carlos Alcaraz, 21, recently joined Juventus on loan from EFL Championship club Southampton. He is indeed on cloud nine to reach the stage once graced by his childhood icon Cristiano Ronaldo.

Silent on Messi, Argentine youngster admits ‘always liking’ Cristiano Ronaldo

Alcaraz arrived at Juventus a day before the transfer deadline. Though he has joined on loan, the deal reportedly includes an optional-buy clause. Shortly after he arrived in Turin, the 21-year-old opened up to his new team in an interview. A snippet of him speaking about his childhood influences is now doing rounds on the web. “As a kid, I always liked Cristiano Ronaldo. He was an inspiration,” said Carlos Alcaraz (translated by DeepL). He added, “When I played for Argentine Racing Club, I really liked one of my teammates, Zaracho. He was a great example, but Cristiano was the greatest inspiration. He is my role model.” Interestingly, he did not mention Lionel Messi’s name even once during the conversation.

Alcaraz’s compatriots might not be so happy to hear what he said. They have not been so comfortable with Alejandro Garnacho’s admiration of Cristiano Ronaldo. Angel Di Maria recently urged Garnacho to stop emulating CR7’s ‘siuu‘ celebration. Di Maria said he would rather celebrate the way Messi does. Anyhow, Argentina players liking Ronaldo over their country’s hero is not too surprising. On the other hand, there are quite a few Portuguese players who idolize the 2022 World Champion over their own captain!

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Portuguese players who chose Lionel Messi over CR7!

Portugal Women’s team starlet Francisca Nazareth is one such player who found great influence in Cristiano Ronaldo’s generational rival. The 20-year-old Messi fan also broke CR7’s record to become Portugal’s youngest goal scorer at a FIFA World Cup. Besides, Barcelona star Joao Felix once snubbed 2023’s top scorer from a dream team. Instead, he included Messi, Neymar, and himself!

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Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva famously backed La Pulga to win last year’s Ballon d’Or. Notably, CR7 failed to secure a nomination for the illustrious honor. Rumors had it that the 5x Ballon d’Or winner unfollowed his teammate on Instagram for publicly backing his arch-rival. There is a similar story of Messi unfollowing Garnacho because he prefers Cristiano Ronaldo.

We will have to wait and watch if Carlos Alcaraz will face similar flak for choosing the Portuguese over his compatriot.

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