Julian Alvarez is a professional Argentine soccer player who wears the number 9 shirt for his home country, Argentina. He also plays club football with Manchester City after transferring there from River Plate.
Julian Alvarez has showcased stellar skills and performances both in his national team’s games and for the premiere league club.
Despite being 25 years old, the football player has made a name for himself in the sport. He has been instrumental in a number of his team’s wins and for his former club, River Plate, he over 50 goals in about 120 games.
Here Are All You Need To Know About Julian Alvarez
1. Julian Alvarez’s Nickname ‘La Arana’ was Given to Him at a Young Age
He was born on January 31, 2000, in Calchin, Cordoba, Argentina. His parents are named Mr. Gustavo Alvarez and Mrs. Mariana Alvarez. Julian has two older brothers known as Rafael and Agustin.
The young professional Man City forward began loving the sport at the age of 3. His older brothers had already started playing soccer by the time he was born and so he picked up the love from there.
According to Mr. and Mrs. Gustavo Alvarez, their sons were wont to play football for the better parts of their day. They would play inside the house or out at the local pitch in front of their house in Calchin.
Soon, Julian became a great player and was even competing alongside and against older boys in the neighborhood.
Because of how sleek he was with the ball, he was nicknamed ‘La Arana’ which translates to ‘The Spider’. It was said that Julian played and dribbled as though he had many legs and wouldn’t lose the ball.
2. He Started a Career in Football Playing for his Home-town’s Local Club
At the age of 14, Julian started playing for the local club ‘Atletico Calchin’. It was the junior division of the club and he started his youth career there. The young star spent 2 years with Atletico before moving to River Plate.
It was at River Plate that a lot of people began to know about the Calchin-born. He began to gain notoriety and the attention of scouts and bigger clubs.
Alvarez spent 2 years with the River Plates Youth team before moving up to his senior career. From 2018 to 2022, the Argentinian played for the senior team of the Argentine sports club. He made his move to English football after 2 years spent in River Plate.
3. Alvarez’s Move to Manchester City Cost 14 Million Pounds
On Julian’s 22 nd birthday, he made a massive move from Argentina to England. With his 14 million pounds transfer, he became a player with the premiere league champions, Manchester City.
His contract was for 5 and a half years beginning in mid-2022. Before joining the English club, Alvarez was on loan to River Plate still. He was only going to join City for the pre-season in July.
He made his very first Premiere league appearance on August 7, 2022, for Man City. Alvarez was brought in as a substitute for Erling Haaland and the game ended in a 2-0 win for Julian’s new club. He scored his first 2 premiere league goal on August 31, in one match against Nottingham Forest.
4. Alvarez’s Older Brothers Play for an English Club
Rafael Alvarez and Agustin Alvarez, Julian’s older brothers play for the English football club Abbey Hey. They have been playing for the 10th tier of English football since early 2022.
Despite being older than La Arana, they play for a league way below what he plays for. Nonetheless, they are all very supportive of each other and avail themselves to watch almost every game.
5. Julian Alvarez is a Goal-scoring Machine
The former River Plate football player is very good at scoring goals. In 120 games played for the club, the 25 -year-old scored 53 goals as stated above. In one of his most impressive outings, Julian scored 6 goals in an 8:1 defeat of Alianza Lima.
By 2021, he already had three braces, a treble, and a four-goal salvo. During his league outing in the same year, he had 11 goals in 21 games played. In 2022, he already has at least 2 hat tricks to his name.
In a game with his home country against the UAE, the brilliant football player netted a goal with an assist from his fellow countryman. This just goes to prove that he is very good at taking chances and making the best of them.
6. The City Forward Idolizes Kun Aguero
Alvarez has confessed to wanting to be like Sergio Aguero, another star player from Argentina. Interestingly, the similarities between the players are beginning to show. Both players are of the same height and can play in almost similar positions. Also, they have a penchant for scoring goals and are very good at handling the ball.
However, there is still a couple of work to be done by Julian to attain Aguero’s stance.
7. Julian has Played With Messi
At a very young age, Julian offered a variety of skills that couldn’t go unnoticed. Ahead of the World Cup in 2022, he has also played alongside the 7-time Ballon d’Or Winner. As earlier stated, he scored a goal against the UAE after receiving a great pass from Messi.
READ ALSO: 20 Big Players To Watch Out For At Qatar World Cup 2022
8. Alvarez’s Honors
Julian Alvarez has been playing professional football for about 8 years. In these years, he has been part of tournaments and competitions such as Copa Argentina, Copa Libertadores, Copa America, and lots more.
Some of the young Argentine has won several awards and honors like:
- Player of the Match
- Hat-trick Balls
- Jersey for his 100th game with River Plate
- Player of America
- Player of the Season
- Argentina Primera Division top Scorer
- South American Footballer of the Year
9. Julian Alvarez has a Girlfriend
Manchester City’s winger is in a relationship with a woman identified as Emilia Maria Ferrero. Though it isn’t certain when the romance between them started, she has been to a couple of football games with the forward.
The couple began to share images of themselves on their Instagram accounts in the late months of 2022. One image dated to September was of Julian and Emilia holding hands and walking the streets. Alvarez, in November then posted one of the love birds posing for the camera.
Emilia Maria is also 24 years old and is sportive as she plays field hockey, professionally.
10. Julian Would be at Qatar 2022 World Cup Representing Argentina
Julian Alvarez made the squad for the Argentine national team during the Qatar 2022 World Cup. In total, he has made 11 appearances for Argentina and would be at the world cup for the first time in Qatar.
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