Garnacho's Agent Clarifies Imitation Of Pedri's Celebration Against Barca

Manchester United winger Alejandro Garnacho's celebration during a match against Barcelona in the Europa League earlier in 2023 has sparked controversy and divided opinions.

Argentine youngster Garnacho appeared to mimic Pedri's celebration by putting his hands to his eyes in the shape of binoculars. This gesture was interpreted by many as mockery directed at Pedri and Barcelona.

However, Garnacho's agent, Quique de Lucas, has come forward to clarify the situation and defend his client. According to de Lucas, Garnacho's celebration was misinterpreted, and it was actually a lighthearted moment between him and his friends in the stands, who happened to be from Madrid.

De Lucas explained that Garnacho pretended to see his friends in the crowd, using the same gesture that Pedri had previously made. The agent emphasized that it was meant to be a playful gesture and not a malicious act of mockery.

“We both laughed a lot about this because at that game there were about thirty of his friends from Madrid in the stands. We were all placed in one area. So all his friends were saying. ‘You’re watching us.’ And he pretended to see us. Which is the same gesture that Pedri made, I don’t know when right? It snowballed… He took in part as saying: ‘people want to make controversy where there is none at all.’

"Now sometimes they send me photos laughing, in that sense, at him when Sevilla eliminated them and so on.” “And he is what I was telling you, is capable of abstracting himself and giving a funny angle to a situation that people wanted to interpret from a partisan point of view because those of us who really know where we were and others laughed a little. And, apart from that, it was an important game because a big team that came from the Champions League was eliminated… It wasn’t an easy tie, therefore, the prize was there.”

De Lucas also shed light on Garnacho's Instagram post following the game, where he shared a picture of himself performing the celebration with the caption "The big team goes through."

The agent revealed that this post was intended to make fun of the controversy that had arisen rather than to provoke further disputes. He mentioned that even a Barcelona player messaged Garnacho questioning his intentions.

The incident gained significant attention online, with Cadiz's club Tiktok account even reminding Garnacho of Manchester United's defeat in a friendly against the Yellow Submarine in December. Despite the controversy, de Lucas believes that a healthy competitive spirit among young players is a positive aspect of the game.