Manchester United starlet Alejandro Garnacho is consistently recording more goals and assists for the team than his role model did. Cristiano Ronaldo was of the same age.

Garnacho netted his 14th Premier League goal for the Red Devils in Sunday’s 3-0 win against Leicester City, equalling Ronaldo’s count before reaching the age of 21.

The Argentine forward won't reach 21 years old until this summer, but he has numerous chances remaining—nine matches in the Premier League and potentially up to five additional ones in the Europa League—to score more goals and provide further assists before his big day arrives.

However, despite having additional time available, Garnacho’s statistics remain remarkably impressive when contrasted with those of a youthful Ronaldo during his formative years at Manchester United.

When Ronaldo was an impressive 18-year-old in 2003, Manchester United acquired him for £12 million from Sporting Lisbon after his outstanding performance in a pre-season match against the club. Shortly afterward, he completed the transfer.

Although the talent and potential were evident from an early stage, the young Ronaldo remained unpolished and required considerable effort to consistently deliver top performances in matches.

Recently, Garnacho experienced a stretch of 24 matches without scoring before ending this drought with a goal against Leicester City. He might find encouragement knowing that Cristiano Ronaldo—who initially brought him into the senior squad—also faced significant challenges and obstacles early in his career.

"Maybe he's been watching too much of those Cristiano Ronaldo highlights! Everyone knows how much of a fan he is," quipped Manchester United skipper Bruno Fernandes following Garnacho’s spectacular Puskas Award-winning scissor kick against Everton.

There is still quite a journey for him to reach Cristiano's level, but he's making progress step by step.

He aims to become someone remarkable in the realm of soccer, and I believe he possesses the potential to achieve that, yet he needs to accomplish even more than just scoring that goal!

Of course, Ronaldo also claimed the Puskas Award while playing for Manchester United. However, his remarkable long-distance goal against Porto in 2009 came when he had evolved into a more versatile and reliable player—by then aged 24, he was poised to make a world-record move to Real Madrid shortly thereafter.

It may come as a surprise, but Garnacho has accumulated more trophies at this point in his career compared to Ronaldo. Both athletes secured victory in the FA Cup—Garnacho with a winning goal against Manchester City, while Ronaldo did so against Millwall—but Garnacho additionally boasts possession of the League Cup.

Garnacho was an unused substitute at Wembley when Erik ten Hag’s team defeated Newcastle United, but he received a winners' medal after playing a significant role in reaching the 2023 final.

Three weeks following Ronaldo's 21st birthday, he secured his initial League Cup title by netting during Manchester United's decisive 4-0 win against Wigan Athletic in the 2006 final.

We have detailed their statistics fully below:

Please note that these statistics pertain solely to Cristiano Ronaldo’s performance with Manchester United before he reached the age of 21. They do not include his appearances for international teams, youth squads, or his time at Sporting Lisbon.

Alejandro Garnacho now

Games: 131

Goals: 24

Assists: 17

Penalties: 0

Free-kicks: 0

Minutes per goal: 311

Time per goal or assist: 181

Minutes per non-penalty goal: 311

Trophies Won: 2022-23 League Cup, 2023-24 FA Cup.

At the age of 21, Cristiano Ronaldo

Games: 122

Goals: 22

Assists: 19

Penalties: 1

Free-kicks: 2

Minutes per goal: 375

Time per goal or assist: 201

Minutes per non-penalty goal: 393

Trophies Won: 2003-04 FA Cup

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