Alejandro Garnacho

Early career

Born in Madrid, Garnacho joined Atlético Madrid's youth system in 2015 from Getafe.

Manchester United

In October 2020, Garnacho joined the Manchester United Academy. United paid Atlético a £420,000 fee. He signed his first professional contract with the club in July 2021. Garnacho came under the spotlight for his solo goal in the FA Youth Cup win over Everton, which was nominated for United's Goal of the Month award for February 2022. After being named as an unused substitute for several Premier League matches, he made his first-team debut for United on 28 April, replacing Anthony Elanga in the 91st minute of a 1–1 draw against Chelsea. Garnacho won the Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year award in May. He scored twice in the final of the FA Youth Cup against Nottingham Forest on 11 May, helping United win the competition for the first time since 2011. For the start of the 2022–23 Premier League season, he changed his shirt number from 75 to 49. On 4 October, he scored a late winner for United's U-21 against Barrow in the 2022–23 EFL Trophy. Garnacho made his first senior start for United on 27 October, in a 3–0 win over Moldovan team Sheriff Tiraspol in the UEFA Europa League, whereafter he was praised by manager Erik ten Hag for his improvement over the past few weeks, saying that though previously dissatisfied, he was happy with Garnacho's improved attitude and resilience. On 3 November, he scored his first senior goal in a Europa League…

Garnacho was eligible to play for his country of birth, Spain, and Argentina, as his mother is Argentine. He made three appearances for the Spain under-18 team in 2021. On 7 March 2022, Garnacho was called up to the senior Argentina team as part of an initial 44-man squad for their two World Cup qualifiers that month. He made it to the final 33-man squad for the fixtures, but did not make an appearance in either game.

Garnacho made his debut for the Argentina under-20 side on 26 March, when he started in a friendly match against the United States. He scored four goals in four appearances for the under-20 team at the 2022 Maurice Revello Tournament winning the Revelation Player and Goal of the Tournament awards. In March 2023, he was called up once again to the senior Argentina team for two friendly matches against Panama and Curaçao, but had to withdraw from the squad after suffering an ankle injury. He made his debut for the senior team on 15 June, during a friendly against Australia at Workers' Stadium, coming on as a substitute for Nicolás González during the second half of the game. In June 2024, Garnacho was included in Lionel Scaloni's final 26-man Argentina squad for the 2024 Copa América. He appeared once in a 2–0 group stage win over Peru as Argentina went on to win the tournament.

An energetic forward, Garnacho has been praised for his speed and dribbling abilities, as well as his ability to create chances and get into the box. He has frequently been deployed as a winger on either the left or right flank. United coach Mike Phelan described him as "everything that Manchester United is about" and "an intelligent player who understands his role in the team". Garnacho's style of play has been heavily influenced by that of former United teammate Cristiano Ronaldo, whom he idolises. He frequently performs Ronaldo's iconic goal celebrations when scoring goals himself.

Garnacho was born in Madrid to a Spanish father, Alex Garnacho, and an Argentine mother, Patricia Ferreyra Fernández. He has a younger brother named Roberto. His father Alex is closely associated with management firm, Leader Sports Management, who currently represent Garnacho. Garnacho and his ex-girlfriend, Eva, have a son who was born on 4 October 2023.