Cristiano Ronaldo gave Alejandro Garnacho permission to use his new 'nap' celebration after scoring his first senior goal on Thursday.
Garnacho, 18, opened his Manchester United account to give Erik ten Hag's side a 1-0 victory against Real Sociedad in Spain. Frustratingly for the visitors, that wasn't enough for them to top their Europa League group and they now face a tough play-off.
The Argentina youth international's maiden goal was assisted by Ronaldo, which is a dream come true. Garnacho views the five-time Ballon d'Or winner, 37, as his "idol" and fantasised about following in his footsteps when he joined United in September 2020.
Garnacho picked United ahead of Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund on leaving Atletico Madrid as a 16-year-old. The emerging talent was born in Madrid and there were fears a move to Los Blancos could cause friction due to their fierce rivalry with Atletico.
Newspapers reports at the time suggested Garnacho's idol was Ronaldo, but the legendary forward wasn't on United's books back then. He was still a Juventus player and few critics backed him to complete an emotional return to Old Trafford in August 2021.
As such, Garnacho wouldn't have imagined Ronaldo setting up his maiden goal. It's a remarkable story, with the youngster confirming his love for the veteran on Thursday. "18 years and 125 days dreaming of this moment," wrote Garnacho. "Thanks idol, Cristiano."
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Garnacho is enjoying a sensational rise at Old Trafford. He was the U18s' talisman last season as they won the FA Youth Cup for the first time since 2011 - scoring twice in the final against Nottingham Forest. For that, he was named United's Young Player of the Year.
Garnacho played two Premier League games last season and has already featured five times for Ten Hag's side this term. He is eligible to play for Spain - earning three caps at U18 level - but is set to represent Argentina, as his mother is Argentinian.
The youngster has scored four goals in five appearances for Argentina's U20 side and has already received his first senior call up. He was part of their 33-player squad for two World Cup qualifiers in March but didn't feature in either competitive fixture.
Garnacho produced an outstanding performance for Argentina's U20s at the Maurice Revello Tournament - formerly known as the Toulon Tournament - in the summer. He scored four goals in as many games and was named as the tournament's Revelation Player.
"He [Garnacho] was good, but he knows that we expect a lot from him," Bruno Fernandes told BT Sport after Thursday's game. "Obviously he's still really young, he's doing really well. He was not at his best at the beginning of the season.
"On the tour he didn't have the best attitude that he should have had, and that's why he didn't get his chances until now. He's getting his chances because he's training better, having a different attitude and deserving his chances."
