It seemed like only a few weeks ago when Julián Álvarez was a bright-eyed youngster basking in the bright lights of the Argentine Primera División.
With his previous club, River Plate, he looked like the best player to ever set foot on a soccer field and still had room for improvement.
Avid River Plate fans knew that Álvarez would be an important player.
In his breakout season in 2021, he became the league’s top scorer, tied for sixth in assists, and led his team to their 37th league title.
All of South America knew that he too could succeed. His competent performances in the Copa Libertadores put him on the radar of numerous scouts and earned him worldwide recognition.
And look at it now. Álvarez has gone from dominating Argentina in 2021 to signing with Manchester City and leading the Albiceleste to a World Cup final.
His arduous rise to the top of football can be chronicled in some of his legendary performances in both Buenos Aires and Manchester.
An Argentine ace on the rise
Julián Álvarez’s majestic rise to the pinnacle of world football was looming, and River Plate fans knew it when he laced up his boots for the club’s senior team at the tender age of 18.
It was under the bright lights of the Estadio Más Monumental that he scored his first appearances and scored his first professional goals.
His breakthrough season would come in 2021. The speedy winger marked his arrival into the mainstream in a Superclásico against Boca Juniors. He opened the scoring in front of a packed and hostile stadium with an accurate shot midway through the first half.
He doubled River Plate’s lead with his seventh goal of the season, a well-connected touch near the end of the first half. He single-handedly led River Plate to a win against arguably their fiercest competition, helping them take a slight lead on matchday 14.
Álvarez’s River Plate ended up winning the league, with El Aranita winning top scorer awards. He went on to win the prestigious South American Player of the Year award and was also named to the South American Team of the Year. He ended up signing with Manchester City in January amid interest from AC Milan, West Ham and other top clubs.
It not only earned him the applause of European scouts, but also the attention of Argentine coach Lionel Scaloni. He ended up playing and eventually starting a couple of games for La Albiceleste, including a 1-1 draw with Ecuador.
The game was not important, since both Ecuador and Argentina had secured qualification for the World Cup and were facing a weaker team. But for Álvarez it meant a lot.
In fact, he scored his first goal for Argentina in his first start. His swift finish to send his attempt past a horde of defenders put Argentina ahead, and while stoppage-time winner Enner Valencia restored parity, the goal would be the first in a long list of goals for Argentina. .
pure domination
When talking about Álvarez’s dominance, it’s hard to put aside his six-goal (!!) game against a hapless Alianza Lima side in the Copa Libertadores.
His performance feels like a lucid dream looking back. But, Álvarez, as always, made the impossible come true when he dominated the reigning Peruvian champions.
Álvarez started early, weaving through a porous Alianza defense to score the game’s opening goal in the fifteenth minute.
He returned just three minutes later with another goal, finishing off a cross with a quick shot. But, he wasn’t done yet. The City striker got the long-awaited hat-trick from him in the 41st minute, beating the keeper with one of his signature long shots.
With the game almost lost to Alianza when they trailed by 4 with 35 minutes to go, Alianza was surprised to see that Álvarez was still pressing and going for the ball. X
He scored an easy touch on a goalkeeper error in the 54th and hit the keeper in the 57th for his fifth goal of the match. Álvarez added salt to Alianza’s bloody wound with a great dribble to evade two defenders for his sixth goal of the match. Julián Álvarez finished the game with two match points and an 8-1 victory, emerging as the bane of all Alianza fans’ existence.
After Álvarez finally moved to Manchester, it took him a while to adjust to the new setting. He trailed the likes of Erling Haaland, Phil Foden and Jack Grealish on the attacking depth chart. But that didn’t stop him from standing out. Take your Champions League masterclass against Sevilla.
Sure, the game didn’t make sense; Manchester City had already secured the top spot in their group; but Álvarez showed up anyway. Rafa Mir scored Sevilla’s first to establish an early lead in the 31st, but Álvarez helped City fight back.
He clipped a lazy pass with his tenacious pressing before rolling a pinpoint pass to Rico Lewis, who buried his golden opportunity in the 52nd.
Álvarez took the lead with an own goal, taking advantage of a great through ball, trapping Sevilla’s Bounou on his line and scoring an easy chance.
His second Champions League goal gave Manchester City a well-deserved lead. Once again, Álvarez knocked water out of stone by creating a great opportunity.
His pressure caught a Sevilla defender by surprise, and he started a very powerful counterattack. Álvarez squared the ball to Riyad Mahrez, who easily scored City’s third goal of the night
doha wait
Álvarez deservedly made the 26-man World Cup squad, albeit not as one of the key starting attackers. The City striker found himself behind Lautaro Martinez and his childhood idol Lionel Messi on the depth chart. However, surprisingly, the position began to open up.
Martínez began to have mediocre performances. Against Saudi Arabia, he was frequently caught offside.
He had another lackluster performance against Mexico, where he couldn’t get much involved on offense. The Argentina coach, Lionel Scaloni, decided to bet on the precocious Álvarez giving him the title in a crucial confrontation with Poland.
Álvarez agreed with Scaloni. He scored in their 2-0 win over Poland to give them first place in their group, and then scored another goal in their nail-biting 2-1 win against Australia. He takes us into a great semifinal matchup against a team from Croatia looking to achieve the unimaginable and surprise Argentina.
Not on Julian Alvarez’s watch.
Álvarez showed why the likes of Pep Guardiola and Stefano Pioli recognized him as a great talent. He tore through Croatia’s stout defense, scoring a penalty in the 32nd minute to give Argentina an early lead.
Álvarez stormed back in the 39th minute, picking up a pushed pass near the halfway line and using his impressive speed to initiate a counter-attack. After beating both Marcelo Brozovic and Josip Juranovic, he beat Dominik Livakovic to extend Argentina’s lead.
Álvarez’s dominance over a disorganized Croatian defense did not stop there. Magnificent assistance from Messi where he surpassed Josko Gvardiol that ended in a precise shot from Álvarez. The slot from the penalty spot gave Argentina a comfortable cushion of three goals and an eventual place in the World Cup final.
With Lionel Messi’s legacy and Argentina’s reputation on the line, Julián Álvarez looks set to appear in the biggest game of his life. Representing his hometown of Caichin and his boyhood club River Plate, he is sure to feature against France.
Photo credit: IMAGO/TT
World Cup 2022 Guide
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