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Julián Álvarez

Julián Álvarez (Spanish pronunciation: [xuˈljan ˈalβaɾes]; born 31 January 2000) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for Premier League club Manchester City and the Argentina national team.

Álvarez began his football career in his native Argentina, where he is an academy graduate of River Plate, making his first-team debut for the club in 2018. There he spent four seasons and won the Copa Argentina, 2018 Copa Libertadores and the Argentine Primera División in 2021, finishing as the competition's top scorer. He was named the South American Footballer of the Year in 2021. In January 2022, he signed for Manchester City and began playing for the club in the 2022–23 season, where he won a continental treble in his debut campaign.

Álvarez also previously represented Argentina at various youth levels and competed at the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup and 2020 CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament. He made his senior international debut in 2021, and played for the senior squads that won the 2021 Copa América, the 2022 Finalissima, and the 2022 FIFA World Cup; the latter title made Álvarez the first ever player to win the World Cup and a continental treble in the same season.

Álvarez's nickname is "la araña" (the spider) or "el hombre araña" (Spiderman). He celebrates his goals with a hand gesture similar to Spiderman's gesture when shooting a web from his wrists.

Club career

River Plate

Álvarez joined River Plate from Atlético Calchín in 2016, notably participating in the Generation Adidas Cup with the club's youth teams. Prior to signing for River, Álvarez had trials with Boca Juniors and Real Madrid; scoring twice in five games for the latter in a youth tournament. He was unable to join Real due to age restrictions. Álvarez was moved into River Plate's senior squad under manager Marcelo Gallardo during the 2018–19 season, with his professional debut arriving on 27 October 2018 during a Primera División fixture with Aldosivi; he was subbed on for Rodrigo Mora with 26 minutes remaining of a 1–0 victory.

Álvarez appeared late on during the second leg of the 2018 Copa Libertadores finals, with River beating rivals Boca Juniors. Álvarez scored the first goal of his senior career on 17 March 2019, netting in a 3–0 league win over Independiente. During the succeeding December, he scored in the 2019 Copa Argentina Final against Central Córdoba as River won 3–0 to secure the trophy. In 2020, Álvarez netted five goals in six Copa Libertadores group stage encounters.

On 25 May 2022, Álvarez scored six goals for River Plate in an 8–1 win over Alianza Lima in the Copa Libertadores.

Manchester City

On 31 January 2022, his 22nd birthday, it was confirmed that Álvarez had signed for Premier League champions Manchester City on a five-and-a-half-year contract for a transfer fee in the region of £14 million, and an agreement that the player would remain at River Plate on loan until July.

2022–23: Debut season and continental treble

Álvarez made his competitive debut on 30 July, where City lost 3–1 to rivals Liverpool in the 2022 FA Community Shield, scoring his team's only goal in the process. On 7 August, Álvarez made his Premier League debut after coming on as a substitute for Erling Haaland in a 2–0 away win over West Ham United. On 31 August, Álvarez scored his first two Premier League goals in a 6–0 win against Nottingham Forest at the City of Manchester Stadium. On 5 October, he scored his first UEFA Champions League goal in a 5–0 win over Copenhagen.

On 17 May 2023, Álvarez scored the last goal in a 4–0 win over Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-final second leg, which cemented his club's qualification to the final. Four days later, he scored the only goal in a 1–0 victory over Chelsea to win his first Premier League title, and third in a row for his club. On 10 June, he won the Champions League final with his club, despite being a non-playing substitute, to become among the players who won the FIFA World Cup and Champions League in the same season, in addition to achieving both the latter and the Copa Libertadores. With this, he also became the first ever player in football history to win the World Cup and a continental treble in the same season.

2023–24: Starting eleven breakthrough

On 19 August, Álvarez netted the lone goal in a 1–0 victory over Newcastle United. Following the injuries of Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne, Álvarez began featuring more regularly in the starting eleven, registering four goal contributions in his next Premier League matches, including two assists in a 3–1 away win over West Ham United on 16 September. Three days later, he scored a brace in City's 3–1 home win over Red Star Belgrade in the UEFA Champions League. Álvarez finished in 7th place in the 2023 Ballon d'Or. On 22 December, Manchester City defeated Fluminense 4–0 in the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup final as Álvarez scored a brace and provided an assist to claim his first Club World Cup title and finish the tournament as top scorer; with his first goal being the fastest in the competition's history at 40 seconds. On 4 May 2024, Álvarez made his 100th appearance for City, marking it with a late goal in a 5–1 league win over Wolverhampton Wanderers.

International career

2018–2020: Youth career

In 2018, Álvarez was selected by the Argentina U-20s to train against the senior team at the 2018 FIFA World Cup. In December, Álvarez was picked for the 2019 South American U-20 Championship. In preparation for the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup, he scored the second goal against Saudi Arabia in what was a 5–0 victory, during a friendly tournament played in Spain. After that, he received a call-up from Fernando Batista for the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup in May 2019. Four matches and one goal, versus South Africa, arrived for him in Poland. Batista subsequently called Álvarez up for the Olympic Team in the succeeding September, which preceded his selection for the 2020 CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament; which Argentina won, with Álvarez scoring once (versus Venezuela) in seven matches.

2021–present: Senior debut and Copa América and World Cup triumphs

Álvarez made his debut for the Argentina senior team on 3 June 2021, in a World Cup qualifier against Chile as a 62nd-minute substitute for Ángel Di María. On 29 March 2022, he scored his first international goal in a 1–1 draw against Ecuador.

On 11 November 2022, Álvarez was included in Lionel Scaloni's 26-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. On 30 November, he scored his first World Cup goal in a 2–0 win in the last group stage match against Poland. Álvarez followed with a second World Cup goal on 3 December, when he scored in Argentina's 2–1 win against Australia. He continued his scoring streak by adding two more goals in Argentina's 3–0 win against Croatia in the semi-finals, becoming the youngest player since Pelé in 1958 to score two goals in a World Cup semi-final at 22 years, 316 days old. On 18 December, he was involved in Argentina's second goal as his team defeated France 4–2 on penalties after the match ended 3–3 in extra-time of the final to win the World Cup.

Style of play

Julian Álvarez is a versatile forward who can play anywhere on the frontline. He is direct, quick, and has graceful control with his right foot, often converting awkward chances. Álvarez is also a good link-up player, with the technique and vision to play quick passes and one-touch football. Playing against rough South American tacklers, his dribbling and ability to manoeuvre in tight spaces are sublime. Álvarez is also a very hardworking player, running around off the ball and capable of leading a strong press.

Álvarez's first touch is incredibly composed and always intentional, with him capable of both killing a ball dead or nudging it away from a defender and into his own path. While not a particularly skilful dribbler, Álvarez is a powerful runner. His slightly hunched running style allows him to barrel through challenges and protect the ball effectively, and there's a tenacity and doggedness to his carrying that makes him difficult to stop. Álvarez is used to playing in a two-striker system in a team with an extremely settled style of play.

In the 2023–24 season, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has often used Álvarez as an attacking midfielder in the absence of Kevin De Bruyne. Álvarez's intelligent running, passing and possession has led to him thriving in this position, and he has often been lauded by pundits for successfully adapting to the requirements of the new position.