Rio Ferdinand slammed by Alejandro Garnacho's brother for claiming Lionel Messi unfollowed him on Instagram for Cristiano Ronaldo claim

Alejandro Garnacho's brother Roberto has branded Rio Ferdinand's claim that Lionel Messi unfollowed the Manchester United teenager due to his admiration of Cristiano Ronaldo as lies.

Ferdinand said that his son told him that Messi unfollowed him on Instagram once he learned he was a Ronaldo fan. He said on his Vibe with FIVE podcast (via CristianoXtra_):

"My lad said to me Messi (has) unfollowed him (Garnacho) because he comes out, don’t care I’m a Ronaldo man, who is the GOAT? “Ronaldo.” When he is in the Argentina squad.”

However, Garnacho's brother Roberto has rubbished those claims, insisting that the Argentina captain never followed the Manchester United wonderkid. He wrote on X (formerly Twitter):

"Fake , Messi never followed him , stop making stuff up just to create hate , garna loves and admires both of them and you all Trying to creating a rivalry."

Garnacho, 19, has displayed his admiration for Cristiano Ronaldo throughout the early stages of his career. He scored one of the goals of the season in a 3-0 win against Everton (November 26) and mimicked the Portugal hero's 'Siuu' celebration.

The Red Devils attacker also named Ronaldo as his 'idol' in an Instagram post after scoring his first senior goal for the Premier League giants. He wrote last season:

"18 years and 125 days dreaming of this moment. Thanks Idol (Cristiano)."

However, Garnacho was also given the opportunity to play alongside Lionel Messi when he made his international debut for Argentina in June. He gave a glowing verdict on being in the same squad as the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner (via Manchester Evening News):

"I didn't talk much with Messi. I went from watching him on TV all my life and now I have him here, it seems that it's not real."

Ferdinand's claim hasn't gone down well with Argentina fans on X. They have also pointed out that Lionel Messi never followed the Manchester United youngster.

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Cristiano Ronaldo insisted his rivalry with Lionel Messi was over

The GOAT rivalry has come to an end.

Fans have continued the GOAT debate between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi despite the iconic duo both departing Europe this year. Neither are in the same league or competition at club level after moving to Al-Nassr and Inter Miami respectively.

Ronaldo touched on this in September when he was asked if the rivalry still remains. He said (via NBC Sports):

"The rivalry is over. It was good, a healthy rivalry that spectators liked a lot. Whoever likes Cristiano Ronaldo doesn’t have to hate Lionel Messi or vice-versa because they’re both very good. They changed the history of football, and they keep on doing it.”

The Al-Nassr superstar and the Inter Miami hero have forged a rivalry over the past two decades. The height of it occurred during their time in La Liga at Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Ronaldo managed 450 goals and 131 assists in 438 games for Los Blancos, while Messi hit 672 goals and 303 assists in 778 games.