Mauro Icardi was the unmanageable, chaotic striker who spent more time in the headlines for his relationship with his agent-wife than scoring goals… but now he’s ready to knock Man United out of the Champions League and even Real Madrid are taking notice

• Mauro Icardi has been rejuvenated since joining Galatasaray on permanent deal
• The Argentine striker has long been followed around by chaos off the pitch
• Pressure is easing on Man United boss Erik ten Hag: Listen to It’s All Kicking Off 

There are few players that are quite in the headlines as much as Argentine striker Mauro Icardi.

The 30-year-old – who has been rejuvenated since joining Galatasaray on a permanent deal last summer – has long been followed around by chaos and unwanted media coverage.

Most of this has been to do with his relationship Wanda Nara, where the pair’s on-off marriage has acted as an ongoing sideshow to a career that has taken him from Sampdoria all the way to Turkey, via stints at Inter Milan and PSG.  

It all began when they got to know each other while she was married to Icardi’s then-Sampdoria team-mate Maxi Lopez between 2008 to 2013.

Icardi – who was making his way as a young striker after stints in the youth academies of Vecindario in the Canary islands and Barcelona – was close friends with fellow countryman Lopez.

Argentine star Mauro Icardi has been rejuvenated in Turkey since joining Galatasaray last year

His on-off relationship with Wanda Nara (left) has ensured chaos that has followed him around

The model (left) married Icardi in 2014 after she split from his former team-mate Maxi Lopez

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However, after Lopez and Nara – who is an Argentine model, TV presenter and businesswoman – split, amid accusations of cheating, relations unsurprisingly turned sour. 

Cheating claims were something Icardi denied as he said at the time: ‘I was a friend of the couple, an acquaintance, and it was all very normal.

‘After that, Wanda split up and we kept in contact, and it just happened.’

Nara backed this up, suggesting it was a natural coming together, despite the pair getting married just five months after she had begun divorce proceedings with Lopez.

She added at the time: ‘After the divorce, I had gone back to live in Argentina and already had the kids registered for the new school year.

‘I had to come back to Milan to finalise some paperwork and he offered to lend me his car, leaving me the keys to his house, too.

‘He asked if I wanted to have dinner with him, but the fridge was empty. I knocked up some pasta and the rest just happened spontaneously.’

Lopez then refused to shake the hand of his old pal during two Serie A matches in 2014 and 2016. 

As a result, Icardi and Nara’s relationship has always generated controversy in Italy and Argentina, while they have also experienced a rocky ride.

Nara – who had three children with Lopez – married the Galatasaray star in 2014 and they have since had two children together.

Icardi has taken Nara three children to his heart, even getting their names – Valentino, Constantino, and Benedicto – tattooed on his arm, in a move that infuriated Lopez.

He similarly regularly shared photos of the trio on social media, another decision that angered his nemesis, as Lopez said: ‘I can understand that, being a public figure, he publishes photos. But I’m not comfortable with my kids being in those photos.’

Nara also poked the bear further by claiming she was left sexually starved by Lopez.

However, despite the seemingly positive start, Nara and Icardi’s relationship has increasingly become chaotic with the pair officially announcing they are splitting up on three separate occasions before a subsequent reconciliation, with the latest coming in March of this year.

On the first occasion in October 2021, Nara accused Icardi of cheating on her and moved with her five children from Paris to Milan.

Lopez and Icardi were good friends but their relationship unsurprisingly then deteriorated

Icardi and Nara have publicly announced a split three times before getting back together 

Nara has acted as Icardi’s agent and negotiated his moves to both PSG and Galatasaray 

The two reconciled soon after and the family returned to Paris before Nara announced their marriage had ended again in September 2022.

They then got back together two months later, before splitting for a third time one month on. Since March of this year, they have remained together.

Icardi’s off-field chaos has also impacted his on-pitch fortunes, with Wanda leaving her husband in hot water in February 2019.

She had made several comments about Inter Milan’s players and management live on TV, leading to the club stripping the striker of the captaincy.

As a result, he refused to play in a Europa League clash against Rapid Wien the following day.

Relations began to sour and he departed that summer to join PSG, where an initial loan turned into a £52m transfer.

But, after three disappointing seasons in Paris – where he scored just 23 league goals and struggled for gametime – he joined Galatasaray last year on an initial loan deal.

Nara has also acted as Icardi’s agent, and was a key part in negotiating six aspects of his initial loan move to Galatasaray, including access to a 24-hour driver, a chef, and home security.

She was also involved in his transfer to Paris Saint-Germain in 2019.

However, their close relationship has often also impacted Icardi’s standing back home in Argentina.

Despite being one of the most prolific goalscorers of a generation, he hasn’t featured for the national team since a friendly against Mexico in November 2018, which came just a few months after he was snubbed for that year’s World Cup squad. 

Icardi has similarly regularly been attacked in the Argentine media and the late Diego Maradona was one of several figures who was against calling him up.  

Icardi has only won eight caps in his career for Argentina despite his prolific scoring record

Heartbreakingly, Nara announced she had been diagnosed with leukemia earlier this year

Heartbreakingly, Wanda was diagnosed with leukemia in the summer and continues to face an ongoing cancer battle. 

She had a routine check-up when there was an ‘abnormal’ finding, soon leading to the terrifying diagnosis. 

Last month, after debuting on Dancing with the Stars, Italy’s version of Strictly Come Dancing, she was emotional talking about her motivation behind committing to the television show.

‘I had to travel to Milan. Whenever I go there I do some routine tests. The results were abnormal and the doctors began to see things,’ she explained.

‘I was crying without knowing what it even was. My children were so sad.

‘When they invited me to be on ‘Dancing with the Stars’, obviously the situation was more stable.

‘Before signing the contract, I asked the doctors whether I could accept while receiving treatment. They told me ‘yes, 100 per cent, do it’.

‘I believe it is an example for my children and when they see this experience, especially the younger ones who did not understand what was happening to their mum. They will feel like everything is fine. I’m dancing to show that I’m fine.’

Amid the tragic news, Icardi and Nara are currently together and reports in Spain earlier this month claimed they are even looking to renew their vows as their chaotic relationship takes another turn.

This has been accompanied by a superb run of form on the pitch and the Argentine striker finally looks settled after years of uncertainty.

His part of a thriving Galatasaray side, who won their first domestic league title in four years last season, and now have a good chance of progressing from the group stage of the Champions League in what would be a remarkable feat.

They are level on points with second place FC Copenhagen and host Man United on Wednesday after securing a memorable 3-2 victory at Old Trafford back in October.

Galatasaray’s squad is a mix of younger players along with familiar names such as Wilfried Zaha, Dries Mertens, Hakim Ziyech, Tanguy Ndombele and Icardi.

While Icardi has often been viewed as difficult to manage – something which perhaps explains why he has just eight Argentina caps – it is hard to question his scoring record while at Sampdoria, Inter Milan, PSG and the Turkish giants.

In total, the 30-year-old has netted 212 goals in 390 career games. However, after a difficult spell at PSG, Galatasaray boss Okan Buruk has rejuvenated the forward.

Icardi has netted 39 times in just 47 games and was crucial as they won the Superlig last season, with 22 league goals in 24 matches.

Despite winning their domestic title, the Lions still had to navigate the qualifying stage to reach the group stage of Europe’s elite club competition. 

Icardi stepped up and scored in crunch clashes with NK Olimpija, along with both legs of their 5-3 aggregate victory over Molde in the final qualifying round. 

He has developed a formidable partnership in attack with the likes of Zaha, Mertens and Baris Yilmaz, with Icardi scoring and also setting up both Zaha and Mertens in Saturday’s 4-0 win over Alanyaspor.

Icardi is part of a Galatasaray side who earned a stunning 3-2 win over Man United in October

Icardi scored the winner at Old Trafford after the Turkish giants fought back from 2-1 down

Icardi – who has 16 goals in 21 appearances in all competitions this season – notched against both United and Bayern Munich and looks to be settled at the club. 

Such has his form been that he was even linked with a move to Real Madrid last week, with Los Blancos struggling for availability in attacking areas after Vinicius Jr was ruled out with a hamstring injury until the new year. That follows the departure of Karim Benzema in the summer.

One of his representatives, Elio Letterio Pino, told Spanish outlet Diario AS: ‘I’m in Madrid. Real Madrid have not made an offer for Icardi. They haven’t made an official offer yet, but we are speaking with club officials.’

When United visit the notoriously hostile Ali Sami Yen Stadium on Wednesday, Icardi will no doubt be one of the main dangers to Erik ten Hag’s side. 

And, given his scoring record, you wouldn’t put it past him effectively eliminating United from the Champions League in what is set to be a dramatic clash. 

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