Former Barcelona star Mauro Icardi allegedly killed a pigeon with a home-made slingshot and ate it, according to former team-mate Sergi Gomez.
Gomez, who joined Barcelona in 2006 as a 14-year-old, lived with Icardi and Sergi Roberto during their time at La Masia, the club's famous youth set-up.
It was there that the alleged incident took place, with former Celta Vigo defender Gomez explaining the Argentine “brought down the pigeon” and “ate it in front of me”.
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Speaking on the Post United podcast, Gomez said: “Mauro arrived at La Masia and we were team-mates for three or four seasons. During one of those seasons, we shared an apartment. One day, he said to me, ‘Sergi, come with me to the park next door.’
Sergi Gomez made the sensational claim on the Post United podcast
|YouTube - Post United
“He was carrying a Y-shaped piece of wood that he had cut the day before, with a rubber band tied to it. He had made a homemade slingshot. We went to the park, and he pointed to a very tall pine tree and said, ‘See up there?'
“He grabbed a rock, stretched the rubber band, and... boom. He brought down the pigeon from a height of 20 or 30 meters.
“We went back, he plucked its feathers, threaded a wire through it, lit a fire, and ate it in front of me. I remember thinking: ‘What awaits me if we start like this?’”
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Mauro Icardi is said to have eaten the pigeon after killing it with a homemade slingshot
|Getty
Despite this, Gomez continued by speaking positively of his time at La Masia with Icardi, saying: “We lived through a lot together, and if he sees him, he'll know that I hold that in my heart.”
Icardi has garnered a reputation for being an intriguing character off the field.
During his time at Sampdoria, the Argentinian striker began an affair with Maxi Lopez’s wife, who was his team-mate at the time, and ultimately married the well-known model, Wanda Nara.
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After the scandal, Icardi got the names of Nara and Lopez’s three children tattooed on himself - a move that angered his former team-mate and friend significantly.
After a chaotic 10-year marriage with Nara that saw her become Icardi’s football agent, overseeing his big-money move to French club PSG, the pair announced their split in 2022 and are currently going through divorce proceedings.
Icardi could be due a significant pay-off from the divorce, with the Galatasaray striker accusing his model wife of infidelity.
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Wanda Nara with Mauro Icardi before she masterminded his £50million move to PSG | GettyThe 32-year-old is alleging that Nara cheated on him with Argentinian singer L-Gante and former team-mates Federico Fazio and Keita Balde.
While Balde admitted to having the affair, and Nara entered a relationship with L-Gante after the pair split, the 38-year-old insists she does not know Fazio.
Despite his off-field antics, Icardi has had a largely successful career on the pitch.
During spells at Inter Milan, PSG and Galatasaray, the 32-year-old demonstrated a remarkable eye for goal, winning the league top goal scorer on four occasions.
The former Inter captain amassed transfer fees of over £65million, mostly from his £50m move to PSG, which was masterminded by then-agent and wife Nara.