Julián Alvarez has his detractors, but even they can no longer deny he belongs at the game’s highest levels. Still only 26, the Argentinian striker has an impressive collection of honors: two Premier League titles, a Champions League, a Copa Libertadores, two Copa Américas, a pre-bloat Club World Cup. And oh yeah, the 2022 World Cup and 2023 Champions League, won within in a half-year span.
He has been key for many of the teams that won those titles, yet is often cast as a supporting player rather than a star. Those Premier Leagues and the Champions League with Manchester City were more directly (and rightly) credited to Erling Haaland, Kevin De Bruyne, and Rodri. When Argentina snapped their international drought with a Copa, a World Cup, and another Copa for good measure, it was framed almost entirely in the context of Lionel Messi’s legacy.
Alvarez wasn’t just along for the ride for those triumphs, though. When City finally won their first European title, the striker trailed only Haaland in the team’s continental scoring chart. Argentina’s third World Cup saw just two players score multiple goals: Messi (seven) and Alvarez (four).
In August 2024, Atlético Madrid shelled out €95m to pry him from Pep Guardiola’s rotation. His wasn’t a swift acclimation to La Liga, scoring just once in his first six games and three times in a dozen league fixtures. Diego Simeone stuck by his compatriot, faith buoyed by strong form in the Copa Del Rey and their Champions League group.
From the start of 2025, he’s looked worthy of the lofty outlay and then some: 36 goals and 13 assists in 69 games. He earned a spot on La Liga’s team of the season last year – his first personal accolade since leaving River Plate in 2022.
At times, he has scored ugly goals, which every great striker must amass in their time. His latest strike, though, was a timely reminder of his technical brilliance.
Late in the first half of Atléti’s Champions League quarter-final first leg against Barcelona, the visitors were handed a dead-ball gift roughly 25 yards from goal after Pau Cubarsí’s sending off. Alvarez loitered over the ball alongside Antoine Griezmann, who has converted 10 direct free kicks in a storied Atléti tenure nearing its end.
The Barcelona wall lept in unison. Goalkeeper Joan García timed a lunging dive to his left. It was all in vain, and there Alvarez went, running a bit aimlessly and waving his hand in the air to yield further rapture from the away supporters.
Those fans have certainly come around. Alvarez has rounded out his game nicely since leaving Guardiola’s system, a more natural press-leader and a more instinctive player in possession. By and large, however, he’s sized up to be his country’s second-best pure striker, a less intense foil to Lautaro Martínez. A calf injury kept the Inter forward out of Argentina’s March friendlies, which saw Alvarez start both games and open the scoring in a 5-0 rout of Zambia.
By way of his four goals in Qatar, only six Argentinians have scored more often in World Cup history. Despite this status, he’s an unpopular pick to win the golden boot this summer: 14th in the fieldlevel with Richarlison in the odds, and third-favorite among his own national team.
Why such a disparity between performance and perception? It may be a byproduct of his approach.
He isn’t a gregarious showman, nor an unprecedented athletic marvel. There’s undeniable guile about him, both in his clever reading of space – with and without the ball – and his tireless commitment to leading his team’s press. Some liken him Griezmann: a very good second striker, if your club’s manager still uses the role, but perhaps not an ideal line-leader for a global power.
That may be changing. Reports suggest Alvarez is Barcelona’s most coveted target as they prepare to replace Robert Lewandowski. It’s easy to see why he’s their target; his willingness to play a more selfless version of striker would dovetail well with the gaggle of stars at Hansi Flick’s call. He does more thankless work than the Polish legend, and more routine service could get Alvarez’s goalscoring output a bit closer to the incumbent’s.
Quick GuideBarcelona make complaint to Uefa over handball
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Barcelona have lodged a formal complaint on Thursday over the officiating in their 2-0 Champions League home defeat by Atlético Madrid.
The row centres on an incident early in the second half of the quarter-final, first-leg tie. Barça appealed for a penalty after the Atlético goalkeeper, Juan Musso, appeared to have put the ball back into play from a goal kick before defender Marc Pubill handled it inside the six-yard box to retake it.
Referee Istvan Kovacs waved play on and the VAR team did not summon him to the monitor, drawing furious reactions from the Barcelona bench. A statement said: ‘the club legal services have submitted a complaint to Uefa today regarding the events in the Champions League [tie] against Atlético Madrid.
‘In the 54th minute of the match, after play had been restarted correctly, an opponent player picked up the ball in their area without being penalised. Barcelona understand this decision, along with a grave lack of intervention by VAR, represents a major error. Accordingly, the club has requested an investigation be opened.’
Interpretations of similar incidents have varied. In the Champions League quarter-finals in April 2024, the referee did not award Bayern Munich a penalty after Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhães touched the ball after an apparent restart from goalkeeper David Raya. Later that year, VAR intervened to award Club Brugge a penalty after a similar incident involving Aston Villa’s Emiliano Martínez and Tyrone Mings. Reuters
To their credit, Atléti haven’t taken lightly to the suggestion of losing Alvarez. Club president Enrique Cerezo was as emphatic as he was colorful in defending the club’s control of the striker. Considering Alvarez wasn’t terribly muted about celebrating his opener at Camp Nou, one would think he’s pretty happy. And why wouldn’t he be? Alvarez has rounded out a world-class blend: a chameleon who can complement star teammates while finding his own looks, fill multiple roles in the final third, and play with the joy that endears fans for a lifetime.
