Julián Alvarez

Julián Alvarez
Alvarez with Manchester City in 2023
Personal information
Full name Julián Alvarez
Date of birth (2000-01-31) 31 January 2000
Place of birth Calchín, Argentina
Height 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
Atlético Madrid
Number 19
Youth career
2014–2016 Atlético Calchín
2016–2019 River Plate
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2018–2022 River Plate 57 (23)
2022–2024 Manchester City 67 (20)
2022River Plate (loan) 17 (11)
2024– Atlético Madrid 37 (17)
International career
2018–2019 Argentina U20 15 (2)
2019–2024 Argentina U23 (O.P.) 11 (1)
2021– Argentina 46 (13)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Argentina
FIFA World Cup
Winner2022 Qatar
Copa América
Winner2021 Brazil
Winner2024 United States
CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions
Winner2022 England
CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament
Winner2020 Colombia
South American U-20 Championship
2019U-20 Team
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19:04, 6 June 2025 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 03:41, 11 June 2025 (UTC)

Julián Alvarez (Spanish pronunciation: [xuˈljan ˈalβaɾes]; born 31 January 2000) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for La Liga club Atlético Madrid and the Argentina national team.

Alvarez began his football career in his native Argentina, where he was an academy graduate of River Plate, making his first-team debut for the club in 2018. There, he spent four seasons and won the Copa Argentina, 2018 Copa Libertadores and the Argentine Primera División in 2021, finishing as the competition's top scorer. He was named the South American Footballer of the Year in 2021. He was signed by Manchester City in 2022, winning a treble of the Premier League, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League in his debut campaign, before leaving for Atlético Madrid in 2024 in a club-record departure deal worth up to €95 million.

Alvarez previously represented Argentina at various youth levels, competing at the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup and 2020 CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament. He made his senior international debut in 2021, and played for the squads that won the 2021 Copa América, the 2022 Finalissima, the 2022 FIFA World Cup, and the 2024 Copa América.

Alvarez's nickname is "La Araña" (the spider) or "El Hombre Araña" (Spider-Man), reflecting his web-shooter goal celebration.