Rising World Cup star Julian Alvarez of Argentina

22-year-old striker Julian Alvarez has been a key figure in Argentina’s run to the title. 【AFP authorization】

When Julian Alvarez came to Qatar with the team, he was only a substitute role other than the main force. But in the upcoming final stage, Alvarez is now one of the big attacking arrows once morest France.

Alvarez, who belongs to Manchester City in the Premier League, started only one game in the group stage and was originally a substitute for Inter Milan striker Lartaro Martinez.

In the first match of the group stage, the new Copa America champions lost to Saudi Arabia 1:2. In that game that shocked the world, Alvarez didn’t have a chance to play.

But from another perspective, that game is likely to be a turning point in his national team career.

In the opening game, Lautaro scored twice, but both were ruled offside.

Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni continued to start Lautaro in Game 2. Despite a 2-0 victory over Mexico in that game, the coach chose to start Alvarez in the third round, when Poland decided the order of promotion. So far, he has never left the starting list.

Alvarez, nicknamed “The Spider” (“La Arana”), received a pass from his teammates in the second half of the Polish game and shot into the upper corner of the goal. He successfully pulled the score to 2-0 and took away the decisive victory. victory.

When facing Australia in the round of 16, Alvarez successfully scored the second point, and finally succeeded in taking the victory 2:1 to advance to the quarterfinals. When it came to the top 8 match once morest the Netherlands, it also caused a lot of trouble for the Dutch defense.

In the semi-final stage, Alvarez broke into the Croatian penalty area single-handedly and caused a foul by the goalkeeper. He successfully won a 12-yard free throw and handed it over to Messi. He scored twice in the game and finally defeated Croatia 3-0. West Asia, successfully advanced to the final.

Alvarez scored a total of 4 goals in this tournament, second only to Messi and Mbappe of the French team.

After winning the semi-finals, Alvarez said in an interview, “Of course I am very happy personally, and I am even more happy to help the team advance to the final.” “We are very satisfied that the team has played its own rhythm. This is what we strive for.”

Alvarez’s top performance, coach Scaloni is very satisfied.

“At his age, it’s normal to have that desire to conquer everyone. But he’s a player who follows instructions very much.”

good deal

Alvarez’s ascent has been staggering.

The deadline for transfer transactions on January 31 this year is also Alvarez’s 22nd birthday. Manchester City in the Premier League successfully acquired Alvarez for only 17 million euros.

However, he continued to stay at Ajia River Plate on loan until the end of the season.

Manchester City Director of Football Txiki Begiristain believes that Alvarez has great development potential, and also said that they have been paying attention to him for a while.

“Alvarez has the ability to play in several offensive roles and we firmly believe he is one of the best young offensive linemen in South America,” Begiristain said.

“I’m really happy to have brought him to Manchester City. I really think the team can give him the right environment to fulfill his potential and become a top player.”

Alvarez has many competitors in the same position at Manchester City, including Erling Haaland who has just joined. The Norwegian has already managed to break several records.

Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola has only started Alvarez three times this season, but he managed to score three points in those few appearances.

In the future, Alvarez may still need to fight for more playing time in Manchester City. But following the baptism of Qatar, he has a great opportunity to show the team his ambition and ability with the title of World Cup champion.

【AFP authorization】

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