World Cup: 6 things to know about Lionel Messi’s sidekick Julian Alvarez

Julian Alvarez (left) celebrates with teammate Lionel Messi after scoring during the World Cup 2022 semi-final against Croatia. PHOTO: EPA-EFE

Lionel Messi may be revered in Argentina, but it has been proven he cannot do it alone, with supporting cast often stepping up to further embellish his god-like status. At Qatar 2022, one of them has been Julian Alvarez, who has been playing second fiddle to Erling Haaland at Manchester City. Who is this trusty sidekick?

1. His affinity with Messi began 10 years ago

Their paths crossed when a 12-year-old Alvarez and his friends scored a wefie with the legend. Who would have known they would be strike partners at a World Cup a decade later?

Incredibly, they have been directly involved in 11 of Argentina’s 12 goals at Qatar 2022, including each of their last eight.

2. He is the Little Spider

Just like Messi, Alvarez is not huge at 1.7m. The 22-year-old was tiny when he was a kid playing football on the streets of Calchin, Cordoba in Argentina, and his older brother Raphael came up with the monicker La Aranita for him.

Alvarez said: “(The nickname) was just something that came to me when I was a little kid, no older than four, playing football with my brothers.

“One day, my brother said, ‘Look at him, like a little spider’. It just stuck and when you get older, you don’t give it up. I like it, it is a great name.”

When he was at River Plate, he would also wear a Spiderman mask and execute the web-shooting celebration.

3. His style of play fits his nickname

Just like a little spider, Alvarez scurries around, dropping into spaces between the lines to receive the ball and beat defenders with his pace.

He can operate as a centre forward, second striker or on the right, and while he has a hammer of a right foot, he can also finish with his left.

Man City teammate Nathan Ake said: “As a player he’s very technical, very difficult to mark even in training, very sharp, good finishing, so it will be tough.”

Lionel Messi posed for a picture with a bunch of 12-year-olds including Julian Alvarez (left) who would become his strike partner at the World Cup 10 years later. PHOTO: FABRIZIO ROMANO/TWITTER

4. He comes from a humble background

Alvarez’s father Gustavo works in a cereal company while his mother Mariana is a kindergarten teacher. They did well to provide for Raphael, Julian and youngest brother Agu.

5. Destined for stardom

He was just 11 when he was invited to go for a trial with Real Madrid. Alvarez impressed with two goals in five appearances to help his team win a youth tournament.

While he was too young for a permanent move as the club’s policy prevented them from signing foreigners who are below 13 years old, they curiously did not follow up as Alvarez continued his development at Atletico Calchin and then River Plate.

It is not known whether this made him switch Playstation allegiance as his favourite teams on the game console are Barcelona and Man City.

6. Scoring records

Alvarez scored his first senior goal at 19, when he netted in River Plate’s 3-0 win over Independiente in 2019 and continued his scoring run to help his club win six trophies in four years.

His breakthrough season came in 2021 when he racked up 20 goals in 35 league games to help River Plate win the Argentinian Primera Division.

On Jan 31, his 22nd birthday, City signed him for a steal at £14.1 million (S$23.5m) on a 5.5-year contract, and loaned him back to River Plate for six months. In May, the Little Spider became the first player to score six goals in a Copa Libertadores match in River Plate’s 8-1 thrashing of Peru’s Alianza Lima.

He carried on his good form at City, scoring on his debut in the 3-1 Community Shield loss to Liverpool, and now has seven goals in 20 games in all competitions for his new club.

At the World Cup, he has scored four times in wins over Poland, Australia and Croatia and is just one goal behind joint leaders Messi and France’s Kylian Mbappe in the race for the Golden Boot.

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