Comparing Alejandro Garnacho’s career record to Lionel Messi & Cristiano Ronaldo at the age of 20

Ben Stewart • 01 Jul 2024

Alejandro Garnacho has just turned 20 years old, but how does his career record stack up against Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo’s at the same age?

The Manchester United winger is part of an elite group that have been lucky enough to play alongside both Ronaldo and Messi during their career.

Garnacho has made it no secret that he idolised Ronaldo as a youngster, but his respect and admiration for Messi has also been well-documented.

The 20-year-old started his youth career in Getafe before then being picked up by Atletico Madrid. He spent five years playing in the Atletico academy before then being picked up by United in 2020.

Signed for a reported £420,000 fee, it’s fair to say that the Red Devils got quite the bargain when signing the Argentine winger.

Ralf Rangnick handed Garnacho his senior debut back in 2022, but Erik ten Hag has undoubtedly played the biggest role in his development over the years.

After showcasing flashes of quality during the 2022-23 campaign, he really showed his class last season while establishing himself as a regular first team player.

He made a whopping 50 appearances across all competitions for United in 2023-24 and managed to provide 15 goal contributions during that time.

Along with making an impact at club level, Garnacho has also been making a name for himself on the international stage with Argentina.

He made his senior debut for Lionel Scaloni’s side last year and has since racked up six appearances for the reigning world champions.

Currently playing alongside Messi at Copa America, the 20-year-old will be hoping to win his first ever international trophy this summer.

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“He is a very fast player, he has incredible ability,” Angel Di Maria told reporters when recently discussing the United star.

“He is going to gain it with experience and coming to the national team, it is a place where you learn a lot and continue to improve. It helped me a lot to grow technically in every way, it is spectacular.

“I think he will grow with experience as well. When I was young I wanted to make the play 30 times in the game. Over the years you realise that if you do it 10, but you do it better, it’s worth it.

“He has a lot of future, a very big future. It depends on him, on his head, to be able to handle it. I don’t have much to say, there’s a reason he’s playing for Manchester United.”

There’s no denying that Garnacho has a bright future ahead of him, but how does his record at the age of 20 compare to Ronaldo and Messi? We’ve taken a closer look at the stats.