Argentina and Manchester City striker Julian Alvarez has had a World Cup to remember having joined forces with childhood hero Lionel Messi to reach the final in Qatar
His humiliation of defender Josko Gvardiol was, even by his own stratospheric standards, a high point of the World Cup, his conversion of a first-half penalty casually brilliant.
That Lionel Messi won the Player of the Match award for his performance in Argentina’s semi-final win over Croatia surprised no one. But let’s face it, if you had to pick one game-changer, one match-winner, it should have been Julian Alvarez, the 22-year-old who once pestered Messi for his autograph.
He won the spot kick Messi dispatched, scored the other two, the first of which involved a run from his own half. And if Alvarez, who has four tournament goals compared to Messi’s five and Kylian Mbappe’s five, has a starring role in Sunday’s final – and even wins the Golden Boot – then what will be the ramifications at Manchester City?
Well, his club, Pep Guardiola, his Etihad Stadium team-mates and the staff will be delighted for him, obviously. But a £14.2million striker will suddenly be a £100million striker, a back-up forward to a Premier League club will be a global phenomenon. And those types of footballers do not play second fiddle for long.
When Alvarez returns from his post-World Cup break – likely to last well into the New Year – he will not be an automatic starter at City. Alvarez has only started three out of 14 Premier League games for City and only once has he partnered with Erling Haaland.
The Argentinian did score twice in that match – a 6-0 thrashing of Nottingham Forest – but it is clear Guardiola finds it hard to see the Alvarez-Haaland partnership as a regular tactic. And Haaland is number one in the pecking order.
Lionel Messi was pestered by Julian Alvarez as a child for his autograph
Julian Alvarez and Lionel Messi have scored the goals that have sent Argentina to the World Cup final
It is early in the Premier League career of Alvarez, early in his development under Guardiola, but for how long would a World Cup-winning star be happy to be second choice, even behind someone as sensational as Haaland?
Even from the limited knowledge we have of him, Alvarez does not look like the type of character to rock the boat but there will be people in his ear, without doubt. Judging by his performance against the Croats, which elite European club would not want him? City have him tied to a contract until the summer of 2027 – they are not daft.
Getting him from River Plate for £14.2million will, almost certainly, turn out to be one of the steals of the century. Because the worst that can happen is that Alvarez eventually gets frustrated behind Haaland and City make a huge profit selling him on.
Julian Alvarez is competing with teammate Lionel Messi for the Golden Boot
The City hierarchy knew exactly that when they completed a deal that had been several years in the making, the club aware of Alvarez from when he was a 16-year-old in the River Plate youth set-up. When Guardiola became properly aware of Alvarez, he gave every encouragement to the executives to get the deal done.
Alvarez, ‘El Aranita’ (the spider) as he is known in Argentina, is – with his non-stop commitment, energy and pressing style – an identikit Guardiola player. Much more, probably, than Haaland is, but the Norwegian phenomenon will have to be top dog at City for however long he stays there.
Yes, it is one heck of fantastic problem – perhaps the best managerial problem ever – for Guardiola to deal with and, yes, if he keeps them both happy, City will be even more formidable. But if Alvarez takes Argentina to the top of the world in Lusail Stadium, it will still be a ‘problem’ for Pep.
Alvarez is now a World Cup-winning striker playing his club football at Man City
