Julián Álvarez

Julián Álvarez (born 31 January 2000) is an professional footballer. He plays as a forward for Premier League club Manchester City and the Argentina national team. He is known for his pressing, dynamic scoring ability, and link-up play, which earned him the nickname La Araña ("The Spider").

Julián Álvarez
Arg vs mex julianalvarez ochoa y messi (cropped).jpg
Álvarez playing for Argentina at the 2022 FIFA World Cup
Personal information
Full nameJulián Álvarez[1]
Date of birth (2000-01-31) 31 January 2000 (age 23)[1]
Place of birthCalchín, Córdoba, Argentina[2]
Height1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)[1]
Playing positionForward
Club information
Current team
Manchester City
Number19
Youth career
2014–2016Atlético Calchín
2016–2018River Plate
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2018–2022River Plate57(23)
2022–Manchester City16(4)
National team
2018–2019Argentina U2015(2)
2019–2020Argentina U237(1)
2021–Argentina19(7)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 21:06, 5 February 2023 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 18 December 2022

Club career

River Plate

 
Álvarez with River Plate in 2019

Álvarez joined River Plate from Atlético Calchín in 2016, playing in the Generation Adidas Cup with the club's youth teams.[3][4][5] Before signing for River Plate, Álvarez played with Boca Juniors and Real Madrid. He scored twice in five games for Real Madrid in a youth tournament.[4][6][7] He was unable to join Real Madrid due to age restrictions.[4] Álvarez was moved into River Plate's senior squad under manager Marcelo Gallardo during the 2018–19. His professional debut arrived on 27 October 2018 during a Primera División match with Aldovisi. He was subbed on for Rodrigo Mora with 26 minutes remaining of a 1–0 victory.[3][8][9]

Álvarez showed up late during the second leg of the 2018 Copa Libertadores finals, with River beating their rivals, Boca Juniors.[3] Álvarez scored the first goal of his senior career on 17 March 2019, getting a 3–0 league win over Independiente.[3] During the next December, he scored in the 2019 Copa Argentina Final against Central Córdoba as River won 3–0 to secure the trophy in 2020. Álvarez got 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.[10]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 "FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™: List of Players: Argentina" (PDF). FIFA. 29 November 2022. p. 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 November 2022.
  2. "Julian Alvarez". Club Atlético River Plate. Archived from the original on 19 June 2022.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Argentina - J. Álvarez. https://int.soccerway.com/players/julian-alvarez/551778/. Retrieved 31 October 2018. 
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 Julian Alvarez: The ex-Real Madrid kid spearheading River Plate's Libertadores quest. 17 December 2020. https://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/julian-alvarez-the-ex-real-madrid-kid-spearheading-river/onxx4gbgla9i1lqtl48adnfbh. Retrieved 18 December 2020. 
  5. "Álvarez: Llego al gol por consecuencia del juego". River Plate. http://www.cariverplate.com.ar/lvarez-llego-al-gol-por-consecuencia-del-juego. Retrieved 31 October 2018. 
  6. "Se probó en Real Madrid - La historia del pibe al que Gallardo le dio la 9 de River para la Copa Libertadores". Clarín. 9 August 2018. https://www.clarin.com/deportes/futbol/river-plate/historia-pibe-gallardo-dio-river-copa-libertadores_0_SyGAoAdS7.html. Retrieved 31 October 2018. 
  7. "Se probó en Real Madrid, estuvo en el Mundial y el sábado debutaría en River". La Nación. 25 October 2018. https://www.lanacion.com.ar/2185182-quien-es-julian-alvarez-river-inferiores. Retrieved 31 October 2018. 
  8. "Ficha Estadistica de JULIAN ALVAREZ". BDFA. http://www.bdfa.com.ar/jugador.asp?codigo=115018. Retrieved 31 October 2018. 
  9. "Julián Álvarez, el 9 que hizo su debut en River". TyC Sports. 27 October 2018. https://www.tycsports.com/nota/superliga/2018/10/27/julian-alvarez-el-9-que-hizo-su-debut-en-river.html. Retrieved 31 October 2018. 
  10. "Future Manchester City Player Julian Alvarez Scores Six Goals for River Plate in 8-1 Win". 26 May 2022.