Leandro Paredes chooses Brazilian rival as player he would like to be Argentine; Garnacho makes Lionel Messi claim despite idolising Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo fan Alejandro Garnacho, who plays alongside Lionel Messi for Argentina, declined the chance to include the Portuguese in his dream Albiceleste team.

In an interview with Duel Bits, the Manchester United forward was asked alongside Leandro Paredes and Rodrigo de Paul who they wished was Argentine. Paredes answered:

"Neymar"

Garnacho opted not to choose anyone, not even his idol Cristiano Ronaldo:

"We have the best in the world."

De Paul echoed the Red Devil's starlet's sentiment:

"I'm happy with what we have."

Argentina are the holders of the FIFA World Cup and Copa America, with Lionel Messi helping them to an unprecedented era of dominance. They face Canada in the 2024 Copa America semi-final on Tuesday (July 9) as they look to retain their continental crown.

Meanwhile, Garnacho, 20, is one of the most exciting prospects in the world at the moment, making 86 appearances, 15 and assisting nine for United. He has made six appearances for the Albiceleste since his debut in June 2023 and looks likely to have a long and successful international career.

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Angel Di Maria urges Alejandro Garnacho to imitate Lionel Messi over Cristiano Ronaldo

Manchester United starlet Alejandro Garnacho has established himself as one of the best young forwards in the world, playing a vital part in attack. He's also one of the few players to have the fortune of playing alongside both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, two of the best to ever play the game.

The 20-year-old has openly idolised Ronaldo, frequently mimicking his celebrations. However, his countryman Angel Di Maria, who also shared the pitch with both, urged him to follow his compatriot Messi's footsteps instead, telling Ole:

“The only thing I wouldn’t do is celebrate like Cristiano. I would score the goal, and I would do like Messi does. I’ll stick with that.”

Ronaldo has scored 759 and assisted 238 times in 1013 club games and has 130 goals and 45 assists in 212 games for his country.

Messi, meanwhile, has bagged an impressive 735 goals and provided 355 assists in 904 club games and has 108 goals and 58 assists in 185 international games in his career.

Like Garnacho, Di Maria played alongside Cristiano Ronaldo at club level during his time at Real Madrid. He's currently at Copa America, where Argentina are two wins away from retaining their continental crown.