Before turning 24 years old and in a football (world) with results, Julian Alvarez He achieved something that is in the dream of every player regardless of colors or flags, almost conquering a utopia: He has already won the most important trophies that a footballer can obtain. Among his 15 Olympic tours, the main course was the World Championship in Qatar 2022 with the national team, although the icing on the cake was achieved in December 2023, with the Club World Cup won with Manchester City. Overall, he won the Copa Libertadores, the Champions League, the Copa América and the two World Cups, the national team one and the club one. His evolution as a player stood out a lot, from that forward who exploded when Marcelo Gallardo put him at 9 to his tactical versatility to adapt to any role no matter what characteristics of companions surrounded him. His humility, he never heard any out-of-place statement or gesture. However, there was a “invisible compliment” of Pep Guardiola that Julián Álvarez can also value it as a trophy. An area in which he surpassed (in consideration) Foden, Haaland, Bernardo Silva and even Grealish.
On January 19, 2023, Guardiola was on fire. The coach even understood that it was a pivotal moment to confirm his continuity or take a step aside at Manchester City. The Champions League remained elusive, but the point was different. As never before, what was under observation was the attitude of the players. It’s halftime of a game that Tottenham beats City 2-0. Pep tells them that they are not even aware of the complacency into which they have fallen, and that this is common in sport. As soon as a certain level is reached, the demons of complacency appear. “You are already world top. You are already at the summit. You have already achieved the objectives. You are happy, you have satisfied your hunger. And at that precise moment stagnation and retreat begin. You can only stay at the top of the sport through constant demand. Just always wanting to go a little further, with more energy, with more impetus. Otherwise, you go backwards.”
He makes no changes at halftime and leaves the players alone in the locker room before going out to play the second stage. Manchester City turns the game around and wins 4-2. At the post-match press conference he bursts out: “I don’t recognize my team. Before they had passion and desire to compete. We are far from the team of previous seasons. Do you think this comeback will always happen? No, it won’t be like that. Today we were lucky. We are very far from being able to compete at the highest level. I say it today that we have played well and we have won. Either we change our attitude or we won’t win anything this season. We lack passion! We have a rival in Arsenal who has fire in their guts. They have not won the Premier League for two decades, they bite and leave their life in every ball, in every duel of the match. We lack passion, fight, desire and guts… I am explaining reality. Everything is so comfortable here… But rivals do not wait. If we want to win something or compete, based on complaints, complaints, complaints and complaints we will not have a chance.” Not even Riyad Mahrez, the figure of the party, was spared: “Mahrez. What a player! Before the World Cup he seemed to be on vacation. Now he has realized it. Oh! Arsenal has not won the Premier League for two decades. We have won four leagues in five years and now we live in comfort. It’s a human tendency when you’ve won a lot, but I don’t accept it.”
The description corresponds to chapter 17 of “God save Pep”, the third book in Martí Perarnau’s series about the Catalan coach. “The players want it, they train, they have the will, but there are thousands of details that we are missing and that make a difference. –Guardiola continued- And he is not just one player, it is all of them. Or almost. On the other hand, Arsenal does everything well, that’s why he is the leader. We are a “happy flowers” team, all nice and good. Everyone is comfortable here, the players, the fans… But I don’t want to be a happy flower, I want to beat Arsenal. And if we play like this, Arsenal will destroy us.”
And this is where it comes in Julian Alvarez. The former River, who just started this Wednesday as a center forward in the 3-2-4-1 that Guardiola proposed in the 4-1 win over Aston Villa, saw how Foden took the ball with his hat-trick and left with anger because despite having two clear chances he couldn’t convert), but maintains something more valued by a coach than the goal or the assist. The sacred fire. He continues to strive and train to be better every day and move away from the comfort like when he started his dreams in his town Calchín.
That January 19, where Guardiola was shooting everywhere, He gave Julián Álvarez a compliment which neither Foden (even though he is the best player in the Premier), nor Haaland (even though he is the best striker in the world) nor Bernardo Silva (whom he praises for his versatility and appreciates like a son) nor Grealish (with an offensive sense) received. admirable defensive) –all Pep’s feelings-. “We need the passion of Julián Álvarez, the passion of Rico Lewis, of Nathan Aké. We need it. They fight each individual duel, they fight each ball as if it were the last of their lives. That’s the attitude. “Without that passion we won’t get anywhere,” Guardiola said. Can it be understood as something normal? Maybe in Lewis or Aké yes. Julián Álvarez had just become world champion with Messi y Cía. just 32 days ago! World champion and with a plethora of other titles.
Guardiola, a big fan of the ‘false 9’, wanted a full-fledged centre-forward to break the spell of the Champions League with Manchester City. The club negotiated for Julián Álvarez (someone who neither in River nor in Lionel Scaloni’s team had only played in that position) and for the Norwegian Haaland. “It’s wonderful,” Carles Planchart, one of Pep’s trusted coaches, told Perarnau on July 4, 2022. With Haaland and Julián Álvarez an essential facet is covered: the goal. We have scored a mountain of goals in the last two years, but we have lacked goals in specific and decisive moments. Haaland and Julián add a profile that we did not have. With them, Kalvin Phillips, a new goalkeeper plus a left back, we will have a team to compete for everything.” Before, Pep had loved Harry Kane, an impossible one.
Julián had arrived in Manchester in July 2022, along with Erling Haaland and Stefan Ortega. According to Perarnau, hiring him was a success by Joan Patsy, City’s football director in South America. Álvarez had debuted in River in October 2018 under Marcelo Gallardo and in 120 games he had scored 53 goals and contributed 31 assists. In clean: He had directly participated in 84 goals in 120 games. Crazy. And he already had 9 games in the Argentine national team. Juan Manuel Lillo (a member of Pep’s coaching staff) was Patsy’s main ally. Between them they convinced Guardiola and Txiki Begiristain (City manager). The first one to praise him after four weeks of training was a certain Bernardo Silva: “It’s great.”
Álvarez achieved marks within his collective conquests that few can boast of. He scored goals in each of the competitions he played in the Manchester City shirt (Premier League, Community Shield, Champions League, EFL Cup, FA Cup and Club World Cup, being the only player on the team to score in six different competitions last season). He achieved something similar in River, in which he scored goals in every tournament he played except for the Club World Cup and the Super League Cup. (Professional League/Super League, Professional League Cup/Maradona Cup, Libertadores, Argentine Cup and Champions Trophy). With the albiceleste shirt, for his part, he scored goals in friendlies, Qualifiers and the World Cup, but he did not manage to score in the Copa América or in the Finalíssima, although he did lift all those trophies.
Álvarez in City’s last game
While he breaks down walls and understands himself with (or without) Haaland and Lautaro Martínez, Foden, Bernardo Silva (in City), Messi, Di María and Mac Allister (in the national team) and contributes goals and assists, it is his sacred fire that keeps it at the highest level. If a player did not relax just days after becoming world champion, he still has everything to win. Although before turning 24 he has already won everything.