Overview

• Sergi Gomez said in early-August interviews that he and Icardi were teammates and roommates at Barcelona’s La Masia and that Icardi used a homemade Y-shaped slingshot to kill a pigeon.
• According to Gomez, they returned to La Masia where Icardi plucked the bird, roasted it over an open fire and ate it in front of him.
• The story first appeared in January via Gazzetta dello Sport and has since been carried by Tutto Sport, Corriere della Sera and Corriere dello Sport.
• Icardi, now playing for Galatasaray and recovering from a serious knee injury, has not publicly responded to the pigeon-eating allegation.
• No independent evidence has emerged to corroborate or refute Gomez’s account, prompting ongoing debate over its authenticity.