Julián Álvarez (born 31 January 2000), nicknamed "La Araña" (The Spider), is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for Premier League club Manchester City and the Argentina national team. As a forward, his main position is as a striker but he can also operate as a winger.
![]() Álvarez with River Plate in 2019 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Full name | Julián Álvarez[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||
Date of birth | (2000-01-31) 31 January 2000 (age 22) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Place of birth | Calchín [es], Córdoba, Argentina[2] | |||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)[3][4] | |||||||||||||||||||||
Position(s) | Forward, winger | |||||||||||||||||||||
Club information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Current team | Manchester City | |||||||||||||||||||||
Number | 19 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||
2014–2016 | Atlético Calchín | |||||||||||||||||||||
2016–2018 | River Plate | |||||||||||||||||||||
Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||
2018–2022 | River Plate | 74 | (34) | |||||||||||||||||||
2022– | Manchester City | 12 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||||
National team‡ | ||||||||||||||||||||||
2018–2019 | Argentina U20 | 15 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||
2019–2020 | Argentina U23 | 9 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||
2021– | Argentina | 12 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||||
Honours
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*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 15:42, 12 November 2022 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 16 November 2022 (UTC) |
Álvarez joined River Plate from Atlético Calchín in 2016, notably participating in the Generation Adidas Cup with the club's youth teams.[5][6][7] 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.[6][8][9] He was unable to join Real due to age restrictions.[6] 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 twenty-six minutes remaining of a 1–0 victory.[5][10][11]
Álvarez appeared late on during the second leg of the 2018 Copa Libertadores finals, with River beating rivals Boca Juniors.[5] Álvarez scored the first goal of his senior career on 17 March 2019, netting in a 3–0 league win over Independiente.[5] 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.[12]
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, but with the player remaining at River Plate on loan until July.[13] He scored on his competitive debut on 30 July, where City lost 1–3 to rivals Liverpool in the Community Shield.[14] 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.[15] On 31 August, Álvarez scored his first two Premier League goals in a 6–0 win against Nottingham Forest at the Etihad Stadium.[16]
In 2018, Álvarez was selected by the Argentina U20s to train against the senior team at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.[17][18] In December, Álvarez was picked for the 2019 South American U-20 Championship.[19] He received a call-up from Fernando Batista for the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup in May 2019.[20] Four matches and one goal, versus South Africa, arrived for him in Poland.[5] Batista subsequently called Álvarez up for the U23s 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.[5][21]
Álvarez made his debut for the Argentina senior team on 3 June 2021, in a World Cup qualifier against Chile. He substituted Ángel Di María in the 62nd minute.[22] On 29 March 2022, he scored his first international goal in a 1–1 draw against Ecuador.[23]
Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
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Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
River Plate | 2018–19 | Argentine Primera División | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 1[lower-alpha 1] | 0 | 1[lower-alpha 2] | 0 | 8 | 1 | |
2019–20 | Argentine Primera División | 7 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5[lower-alpha 1] | 1 | — | 17 | 2 | ||
2020 | Argentine Primera División | 10 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 11[lower-alpha 1] | 5 | — | 25 | 9 | ||
2021 | Argentine Primera División | 35 | 20 | — | — | 10[lower-alpha 1] | 2 | 1[lower-alpha 3] | 2 | 46 | 24 | |||
Total | 57 | 23 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 27 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 96 | 36 | ||
River Plate (loan) | 2022 | Argentine Primera División | 17 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8[lower-alpha 1] | 6 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 18 |
Manchester City | 2022–23 | Premier League | 12 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6[lower-alpha 4] | 2 | 1[lower-alpha 5] | 1 | 20 | 7 |
Career total | 86 | 37 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 41 | 16 | 3 | 3 | 142 | 61 |
National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
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Argentina | 2021 | 5 | 0 |
2022 | 7 | 3 | |
Total | 12 | 3 |
No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
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1 | 29 March 2022 | Estadio Monumental Isidro Romero Carbo, Guayaquil, Ecuador | ![]() | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
2 | 27 September 2022 | Red Bull Arena, Harrison, United States | ![]() | 1–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
3 | 16 November 2022 | Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | ![]() | 1–0 | 5–0 | Friendly |
River Plate[5]
Argentina U23[5]
Argentina[5]
Individual
Manchester City F.C. – current squad | |
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Argentina squads | |||||||||||||
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Awards | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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