Julián Alvarez

Julián Alvarez (; born 31 January 2000) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Atlético Madrid and the Argentina national team.

Alvarez began his football career in his native Argentina, where he was 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. He was signed by Manchester City in 2022, winning a treble of the Premier League, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League in his debut campaign, before leaving for Atlético Madrid in 2024 in a club-record departure deal worth up to €95 million.

Alvarez previously represented Argentina at various youth levels, competing 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 squads that won the 2021 Copa América, the 2022 Finalissima, the 2022 FIFA World Cup, and the 2024 Copa América. Club career River Plate

Alvarez 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, Alvarez 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.

Alvarez appeared late on during the second leg of the 2018 Copa Libertadores finals, with River beating rivals Boca Juniors.

Manchester City

2022–23: Debut season and continental treble On 31 January 2022, his 22nd birthday, it was confirmed that Alvarez 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. thumb Alvarez 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, Alvarez 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, Alvarez 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, Alvarez 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 and departure On 19 August, Alvarez netted the lone goal in a 1–0 victory over Newcastle United. Following the injuries of Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne, Alvarez 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. Alvarez 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 Alvarez 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, Alvarez made his 100th appearance for City, marking it with a late goal in a 5–1 league win over Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Atlético Madrid

2024–25: Debut season

On 12 August 2024, La Liga club Atlético Madrid confirmed the signing of Alvarez on a six-year deal reportedly worth up to €95 million (£81.8 million) with a release clause of €500 million (£427.1 million). His signing became a club-record departure for City.

On 19 August, he made his debut for the club, as a substitute, in a 2–2 draw against Villarreal in the league. On 15 September, Alvarez scored his first goal for the club in the 90th minute of a 3–0 victory over Valencia. On 12 March 2025, Atlético Madrid and Real Madrid went to penalties after tying 2–2 on aggregate in the round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League. Alvarez took Atlético's second penalty, but slipped as he took it yet appeared to successfully convert it, however through the video assistant referee it was determined that Alvarez had slightly touched the ball with his standing foot before striking it, causing the goal to be disallowed for double-touching the ball. Real Madrid would go on to win the penalty shoot-out 4–2 and advance to the next round. A day later, UEFA released a statement explaining that the decision to disallow Alvarez's penalty was the correct one, but that they would enter discussions with FIFA and IFAB to determine whether the rule should be reviewed in cases in which the double touch is clearly unintentional. He concluded his debut season with Atlético Madrid as the club's top scorer in all competitions, registering 29 goals and six assists.

2025–26: Record-breaking season and transfer dispute On 24 September 2025, he scored a winning hat-trick in a 3–2 victory against Rayo Vallecano. On 29 April 2026, he converted a penalty in a 1–1 draw against Arsenal in the Champions League semi-final first leg, reaching a club-record ten goals in a single campaign, and becoming the fastest South American player to reach 25 goals in the competition, doing so in 41 matches and surpassing the previous record held by Lionel Messi.

At the conclusion of the 2025–26 season, Álvarez became the subject of intense transfer interest from Barcelona, whose pursuit of the forward sparked tensions between the two clubs. Álvarez was the subject of a record-breaking bid of €150 million from Real Madrid on 9 June 2026 following Real club president Florentino Pérez' election campaign promise to sign a Galáctico, however Atlético swiftly rejected the offer, reaffirming their intention to retain one of the team's key players. During the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Álvarez publicly announced his desire to leave Atlético Madrid, stating that he believed "the best for everyone involved is a transfer" and that he wanted to "fulfil [his] dream". His comments intensified speculation over a move to Barcelona and prompted Atlético chief executive Miguel Ángel Gil Marín to accuse Barcelona of negotiating with a player under contract, describing the club's conduct as "disrespectful" and confirming that Atlético intended to file a formal complaint with FIFA over the matter. 2026–27 On 23 August 2026, Alvarez was jeered and whistled by sections of Atlético Madrid's fans when he came on as a 66th-minute substitute against Villarreal, amid ongoing transfer rumors. Following the match that ended in a 2–2 draw, Alvarez left the pitch while his teammates remained on the field to applaud and thank the fans for their support. In a post-match press conference, Atlético Madrid manager Diego Simeone stated that Alvarez's decision to leave the pitch was a "club decision". Four days later, Atlético Madrid ruled out negotiating the transfer of Álvarez to Barcelona, with the club's board of directors unanimously expressing its support for the decision, stating that there would be "no negotiation" over his transfer to the rival club.

International career

2018–2020: Youth career

In 2018, Alvarez was selected by the Argentina U-20s to train against the senior team at the 2018 FIFA World Cup. In December, Alvarez 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.

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

Alvarez 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. He made his second appearance in a 4–1 victory over Bolivia in the final group-stage match of the 2021 Copa América, coming on as a second-half substitute. Argentina went on to win the tournament, defeating Brazil in the final to claim their 15th Copa América title and Álvarez's first major international trophy. On 29 March 2022, he scored his first international goal in a 1–1 draw against Ecuador.

On 11 November 2022, Alvarez 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. He followed with a second World Cup goal on 3 December, when he scored in Argentina's 2–1 win against Australia in the Round of 16. 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 2022, 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.

Álvarez scored against Canada in both the opening match and the semi-final of the 2024 Copa América, helping Argentina reach the final. Argentina went on to defeat Colombia in the final, securing a record 16th Copa América title and successfully defending the trophy, while Álvarez won his second Copa América title with the national team. He later competed for Argentina at the 2024 Summer Olympics.

On 27 May 2026, Alvarez was selected in the 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. In the round of 16 match against Egypt, Alvarez was at the centre of a controversial incident as Argentina came from behind, after initially going down 2–0, to win the match 3–2 late in the game. In the build-up to Enzo Fernández's match-winning goal in injury time, Mohamed Salah lost the ball and went to ground after being tackled by Alvarez inside the Argentine penalty area; despite protests from the Egyptian players and staff for an alleged foul on Salah, the goal stood, a decision which drew criticism from some media outlets, who likened the incident to the earlier foul on Lisandro Martínez that had led Mostafa Ziko's goal to be disallowed by referee François Letexier following VAR review. In the quarter-final against Switzerland, he was named Man of the Match after scoring a decisive second goal with an outside-the-box curler in a 3–1 victory following extra time. Alvarez started in the final against Spain, which Argentina lost 1–0 after extra time.

Style of play Alvarez is regarded as a versatile forward capable of playing across the front line. He has been noted for his pace, closing ability and control, and scoring ability from difficult positions. Commentators have also noted his link-up play, passing ability, vision, and movement such as quick passes and one-touch football. He also is recognized for his work rate on and off the ball, while also contributing to pressing opponents. Alvarez has also been described as an effective free-kick taker, scoring several free-kicks during his career in Europe.

Alvarez is known for his first touch being composed and intentional, with his ability of both killing a ball dead or kicking it away from defenders in his path. While not being known a particularly skillful dribbler, Alvarez is described as a powerful runner. His slightly hunched running style is said to allow him to win challenges and protect the ball effectively, and there is a noted aggression to his carrying that makes him difficult to stop.

Personal life Alvarez holds an Italian passport due to his Italian heritage, allowing him to register in La Liga as an EU player.

Alvarez's brothers, Agustín and Rafael, are also footballers. Both played for non-league team Abbey Hey when Julián was a Manchester City player. In 2025, Julián's brothers signed for Club Argentino, a team that competes in the Segunda Regional of Madrid.

Alvarez is in a relationship with fellow Argentine Maria Emilia Ferrero. On 22 June 2025, the couple announced that they were expecting their first child, a boy. He was born on 2 January 2026.

Alvarez's nickname is "La Araña" (the spider) or "El Hombre Araña" (Spider-Man), reflecting his web-shooter goal celebration.

Career statistics Club

Scores and results list Argentina's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Alvarez goal.

Honours River Plate Argentine Primera División: 2021 FA Cup: 2022–23; runner-up: 2023–24 UEFA Champions League: 2022–23 UEFA Super Cup: 2023 FIFA Club World Cup: 2023

Atlético Madrid Copa del Rey runner-up: 2025–26

Argentina U23 CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament: 2020 runner-up: 2026 Copa América: 2021, 2024 Finalissima: 2022

Individual South American Youth Championship Team of the Tournament: 2019 Argentine Primera División Top Scorer: 2021 South American Footballer of the Year: 2021 IFFHS Men's CONMEBOL Team: 2021 (substitute), 2022, 2025 La Liga Team of the Season: 2024–25