Mauro Icardi left a lasting impression on his Barcelona academy teammates. The Argentine striker, who joined the famed La Masia academy at 15, shocked his fellow players with some wild off-pitch antics, according to former teammate Sergi Gomez.
Mauro Icardi's La Masia teammate reveals shocking incident
Speaking on Spanish podcast Post United, Gomez recalled one particularly unforgettable moment involving Icardi and a homemade weapon. He began, “Mauro arrived at La Masía and we were teammates 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.’
Gomez added, “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.
Sergi Gómez coincidió con Mauro Icardi cuando el jugador del Galatasaray llegó a La Masia del Barça.
— Albert Ortega (@AlbertOrtegaES1) August 4, 2025
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“He brought down the pigeon from a height of 20 or 30 metres. 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?’”
What's next for Mauro Icardi?
Icardi, now 32, has gone on to join Sampdoria and has played for clubs like Inter and PSG before arriving at Galatasaray. Galatasaray won the league last season but had to make do without Icardi for much of the campaign after he suffered a serious knee injury. The forward is currently recovering from his injury.
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Off the field, he has had a turbulent life. He’s in the middle of a divorce from his wife and former agent, Wanda Nara. The forward has accused Nara of infidelity, and under Argentinian law, that could potentially result in her being ordered to pay alimony if the claims are proven. The couple, who have long made headlines for their high-profile relationship, share two daughters Francesca, 10, and Isabella, 8.
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