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ÁLVAREZ

Julián Álvarez
ARGENTINA · ARG · FORWARD · #9
31 JAN 2000 · River Plate · Manchester City · Atlético Madrid
★ 1 WORLD CUPS
La ArañaThe Spider
ARGENTINA · #9

🌎 WORLD CUP RECORD

1
TITLES
7
MATCHES
4
GOALS
YEARHOSTAPPSGOALSRESULT
2022Qatar74 ★ WINNER
█ ATTRIBUTES
PACE 85
SHOOTING 87
PASSING 81
DRIBBLING 87
DEFENDING 57
PHYSICAL 79

⚡ DEFINING MOMENTS

▲ 2022 · From the bench to the first eleven
Álvarez began Qatar as an understudy, a substitute against Saudi Arabia and Mexico while the favourites stuttered. A first start against Poland brought a first World Cup goal, a scuffed finish that mattered all the same, and from there he did not sit down again.
▲ 2022 · The run against Croatia
In the semi-final he scored twice in a 3-0 win, the second a solo charge from inside his own half that took three deflections and a great deal of nerve. At 22 he became the youngest man since Pelé in 1958 to score twice in a World Cup semi-final.
▲ 2022 · A winner at the first attempt
He started the final against France, played his part in Argentina's second goal, and left Lusail a world champion in his maiden tournament. Four goals across the run left him three behind his captain in the race for the Golden Boot.

📜 CAREER TIMELINE

2018
Breaks into the River Plate first team, an academy graduate from small-town Calchín.
2021
Tops the Argentine league scoring charts and is named South American Footballer of the Year.
2022
Signs for Manchester City on his 22nd birthday, then wins the World Cup with Argentina in Qatar.
2023
Completes the treble with Manchester City — Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League.
2024
Joins Atlético Madrid in a club-record deal worth up to €95m; adds a second Copa América.
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█ THE ALMANAC SPEAKS
PROF. INKSWORTH:

A tournament can turn on a man who waits his turn and is ready when it comes — Álvarez began Qatar on the bench and ended it a champion, four goals and a great deal of running later. His single World Cup is already a winner's medal, which is more than most players manage in a career. The almanac notes the goals; it notes too that he scored them by chasing causes others had given up on.

  • He featured in all seven of Argentina's 2022 matches — two as a substitute, then five starts once handed the shirt.
  • His double against Croatia made him, at 22, the youngest to score twice in a World Cup semi-final since Pelé in 1958.
  • He won the World Cup in the same year he won an Argentine title, signed for Manchester City, and would go on to lift the treble.
Ready.
Zone: Historical