The Argentina international has scored seven times in this season's tournament – and his conversion rate is ridiculous
The first leg of this year's Champions League Madrid derby didn't disappoint. All three goals at Santiago Bernabeu last Wednesday were of the highest quality.
Rodrygo's rocket just four minutes into a compelling contest came after the Brazilian had latched onto a sublime ball in behind Javi Galan from the fantastic Fede Valverde, while Brahim Diaz did wonderfully well to find some space for himself in a crowded penalty area before whipping home a second-half winner for Real.
It was the goal in between, though, that really took the breath away. There appeared to be little danger when Julian Alvarez picked up possession wide on the left-hand side of the Madrid area, particularly as Eduardo Camavinga was close enough to snap at the Argentine's heels. However, Alvarez managed to power his way past the Frenchman before somehow finding the back of the net with a curling effort from just inside the box that clattered the post on its way in.
It was Alvarez's only shot of the game and had an expected goals figure of just 0.3 – yet the fact that it ended up beating Thibaut Courtois, one of the world's greatest goalkeepers, wasn't that surprising. As Marcos Llorente told , "In games like these, the great players appear." And Alvarez has been proving himself a truly great player over the past few months.
The World Cup winner forced to play a supporting role to Erling Haaland at the Etihad Stadium is now shining on the club game's grandest stage with Atletico Madrid. One could easily argue, in fact, that there is no more efficient centre-forward in this season's Champions League…
Getty Images Sport'New challenge'
Pep Guardiola stated last August that he hadn't expected Alvarez to leave Manchester City, which was a little strange. It's not as if Alvarez had hidden his frustration at being regularly rotated – despite being one of his team's most productive attackers – and he was particularly upset by being left on the bench for the duration of the Champions League final win over Inter.
It was a perceived snub that greatly influenced his desire to seek a "new challenge" away from the Etihad, and Guardiola even admitted after Alvarez's exit that the forward "had conversations a long time ago with other clubs and his agent".
However, maybe Guardiola was taken aback by his August departure simply because he didn't really believe that any club would be willing to meet City's ample asking price.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesBargain buy?
At a time when Europe's elite were expressing zero interest in even stumping up sufficient cash to sign Victor Osimhen from Napoli for a knockdown fee, it was undeniably something of a shock to see Atletico agree to pay €95 million (£82m/$104m) for Alvarez.
Plenty of people thought that the transfer represented a remarkable bit of business by City – and there was some truth to that, as we're talking about a player they'd signed from River Plate for just £14m ($18m). However, the other side of the coin was that Atletico were signing a striker who still clearly had his best years ahead of him despite already having won every major honour in the game.
It's rare that such a talent becomes available – even for an exorbitant fee – and if Newcastle's much-coveted No.9 Alexander Isak does end up moving for a nine-figure fee this summer, Alvarez, with his CV, high ceiling and relatively clean injury record, could end up looking like a bargain buy in years to come.
Getty Images SportBorn to represent the Rojiblancos
We can certainly say that while City banked a significant sum of money from selling Alvarez, his departure has cost them dearly from a sporting perspective.
Guardiola name-checked Oscar Bobb, Phil Foden, James McAtee, Ilkay Gundogan and Bernardo Silva while addressing City's ability to account for the for loss of Alvarez's goals and versatility but, for one reason or another, not one of those players has come remotely close to filling the void. As a result, City were forced into the January transfer market to sign Omar Marmoush from Eintracht Frankfurt for £59m ($76m) – a staggering fee for a forward signed on a free transfer just two years ago and with nothing like the proven track record of Alvarez at the very highest level.
However, if Guardiola and City cannot escape criticism for failing to adequately – and immediately – replace Alvarez, Diego Simeone and Atletico deserve the utmost credit for putting their money where their mouth was to sign the Argentina international.
The feeling at the Metropolitano had long been that Alvarez, as a versatile, industrious and technically-gifted attacker, was born to represent the Rojiblancos and, according to reports, their charm offensive started long before he arrived in Madrid. Alvarez even admitted that Atleti's Argentina contingent (Rodrigo De Paul, Nahuel Molina and Simeone's son Giuliano) all sang the club's praises during their respective time together at last summer's Copa America and Olympic Games, while Antoine Griezmann was also in constant contact once a move became a real possibility.
Atleti still had to commit a colossal amount of money to make it happen; luckily, that investment is now paying off after a worryingly sluggish start.
Getty Images SportStrong support from Simeone
Alvarez failed to score in his first four league outings for Atleti, prompting criticism from certain quarters, but Simeone was never in any doubt that his star summer signing would come good.
"Julian is extraordinary," he said last September, while Alvarez was still goal-less. "He will help us a lot. Remember, Griezmann also took a few months to get off the mark."
The Frenchman's support was also key. Griezmann didn't just play his part in convincing Alvarez to move to Madrid, he also helped him settle, on and off the field, with the pair forming a wonderfully complementary partnership in attack. Atleti's dynamic duo have already been directly involved in 50 goals between them this season, and their understanding is one of the main reasons why Atleti are not only presently battling it out with Real for a place in the Champions League quarter-finals, but also locked in a three-way fight at the top of La Liga with their city rivals and Barcelona.