Ex-Barcelona star shockingly claims Mauro Icardi killed and ate a pigeon during time at La Masia

Icardi spent time at Barcelona's famous La Masia academy at the start of his career and seemingly left his team-mates shocked by some of his behaviour. Gomez lived with Icardi in an apartment with two other team-mates, Marc Muniesa and Sergi Roberto, and has revealed an incredible anecdote about the Argentine striker.

He told Spanish podcast Post United: "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.' 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?' I saw the pine cones, but he insisted, 'No, higher up.' And there was a pigeon that was barely visible.

“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 to La Masía, 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.’ But I have a lot of affection for Mauro. We lived through a lot together, and if he sees him, he’ll know that I hold that in my heart.”

Icardi went on to join Sampdoria and has since taken in spells with Inter and PSG before arriving at Galatasaray. The Argentine has often made headlines throughout his career, not just for his abilities on the pitch but also for a turbulent relationship with ex-wife Wanda Nara.

Galatasaray won the league last season but had to make do without Icardi for much of the campaign after he suffering a serious knee injury. He has since posted updates of his recovery on the training ground and will be hoping to make his return in the new 2025-26 season. Gala open their Turkish Super Lig campaign against Gazisehir on August 8.