Garnacho’s career at crossroads after World Cup winner’s criticism
Alejandro Garnacho’s career was once on a steep upward climb.
Now, after a rocky departure from Manchester United and an uncertain start at Chelsea, the young Argentine is facing strong criticism from a World Cup winner who says he needs to humble himself if he wants to play for Argentina again, according to Goal.com.
A move gone wrong
When Garnacho left Old Trafford for Stamford Bridge this summer, the £40 million ($54m) switch was meant to revive his form and reputation.
But things have not gone to plan. Since arriving in August, he has managed just 331 minutes of football in seven appearances, scoring once, during Chelsea’s shock defeat to Sunderland.
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His struggles, however, began long before his London move. According to The Sun, senior Manchester United players, including Bruno Fernandes, Casemiro, and Harry Maguire, had repeatedly confronted Garnacho over selfish play and a poor attitude.
Manager Amorim eventually lost patience after a reported bust-up during a trip to Plzen, dropping the winger from first-team training and placing him in the club’s “bomb squad” before his summer sale.
Warning from a World Cup winner
Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni, who handed Garnacho his senior debut, has not called him up since November 2024. Now, 1986 World Cup champion Oscar Ruggeri has urged the 21-year-old to rethink his approach.
In an interview with TNT Sport, Ruggeri said: “He’s no better than anyone else, you’re a football player, enjoy it, but you shouldn’t be so full of yourself. It’s pointless because you miss out on so much. Someone has to bring him down to earth.
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They’re not calling him up to the national team. If he comes back down to earth like he was, they’ll call him up again because he’s phenomenal on the pitch.”
The Fulham phone fiasco
Controversy followed Garnacho before he even made his Chelsea debut. The winger was left out of the matchday squad against Fulham due to late registration but was spotted in the Stamford Bridge VIP section during the game. Cameras caught him scrolling on his phone just minutes after kick-off, a moment that did not go down well with pundits or fans.
Sky Sports’ Jamie Carragher was unimpressed. “You know what I didn't like? Did you see the game [against Fulham], when they go to the people in the stands and they are on their phones with the game going on? I can't stand it,” he said. “It’s not just him, but I can’t stand it. For sitting on his phone during an important game for Chelsea.”
Calls for maturity
Former Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo also weighed in, saying Garnacho must mature quickly to justify the club’s faith in him. “You can see that he has a tonne of potential and if he can manage to grow and develop and become the player that he thinks he is and we all hope he can be, then it becomes a bargain to sign him for that price,” Di Matteo said.
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“But let’s not forget he is only young, 21, so still needs to learn and mature as a person and as a football player. Sometimes when you are young you can make some mistakes, he just needs to learn from that. He’s coming into a team with a good hierarchy.
I don’t think he can rock the boat at Chelsea, there is a good group, a good team environment.”
