Lanzini honours former River Plate teammate Cavenaghi

Manuel Lanzini
Manuel Lanzini joined a who’s who of Argentinian football at a match to mark the retirement of his former River Plate teammate Fernando Cavenaghi.

The West Ham United playmaker was one of more than 60 footballers, sports stars and celebrities to turn out in front of a capacity crowd at the Buenos Aires club’s La Monumental to honour the former River, Spartak Moscow, Bordeaux and Villarreal striker.

Lanzini and Cavenaghi teamed up to help River Plate win the Argentinian Primera Division Torneo Final in 2014, edging out great rivals Boca Juniors by five points to lift the trophy. The 33-year-old is the all-time tenth highest scorer in River’s history with 112 goals.

On an emotional Saturday night at the ground they both graced, the pair joined forces again alongside the likes of Javier Saviola and Martin Demichelis for the Reds to tackle a Whites squad including Ariel Ortega, Marcelo Salas, Pablo Aimar, Enzo Francescoli and former tennis stars David Nalbandian and Guillermo Coria.

Lanzini posted a photograph of himself and his old friend on Instagram, writing: "What a nice farewell, you deserve it and much more because you're Gordo. Thank you for letting me share this moment with you something unforgettable."

For Lanzini, who recently made his senior Argentina debut alongside Lionel Messi, his appearance at the Farewell Fernando Cavenaghi match continued a memorable year which has also seen him score the London Stadium winner against Tottenham Hotspur and be voted West Ham’s Players’ Player of the Year.

For the record, Cavenaghi scored twice for both teams, with Saviola, Ortega and current River Plate manager Marcelo Gallardo also on target as the Whites defeated the Reds 6-4.