Éder Fabián Álvarez Balanta (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈeðeɾ ˈalβaɾes]; born 28 February 1993) is a Colombian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder or centre-back for América de Cali and the Colombia national team.

River Plate former coach Ramón Díaz has compared Álvarez Balanta's talents to that of 1970s legend Daniel Passarella.

[3] A Colombian international, he made his debut against Tunisia on 5 March 2014 and was later named in Colombia's squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Álvarez Balanta is described by FIFA's official website as "left-footed, powerfully built, strong in the air and a fearless tackler ... blessed with skill and speed.

Prior to his move to the Argentinian club, Balanta was never able to represent the Colombian national youth squads due to vast injuries.

[11][12] During a match against All Boys, Álvarez Balanta tore his internal obturador muscle resulting in a two-week absence on the pitch.

[13] In July 2013, Álvarez Balanta officially signed his first senior contract with the club on a three-year term deal with a $30 million release clause.

[16][17][18] It was also mentioned that Álvarez Balanta could possibly be a successor to Barça's aging defender Carles Puyol, but that River Plate would require €50 million in any transfer deal.

[22] In River Plate's match against Lanús, Álvarez Balanta received his first ever red card within the last two minutes of regulation time.

[23] On 19 February 2015, Álvarez Balanta made his debut in the 2015 Copa Libertadores against Bolivian club San José in which River Plate lost 2–0.

[24] On 15 July 2016, Swiss club Basel announced that they had signed Éder Balanta on a four-year contract lasting until 30 June 2020.

On 6 June 2014, Álvarez Balanta was named by head coach José Pékerman in Colombia's 23-man squad for the 2014 World Cup.

[15][42][43][44][45][46] Compared to other Colombian legends, he has been referenced for Jorge Bermúdez's hierarchy while having speed and agility to that of Iván Córdoba, all while also carrying wonderful strength and balance.

[3] Eder Alvarez Balanta was inducted into the 5 Star Potential Podcast Wonderkid Hall of Fame for his exploits in the Football Manager series of games.

[53] In response to his sudden rise in popularity and praise, Álvarez Balanta has been shown to be quite modest: "I am not as skillful as everyone thinks I am; I understand that people are excited for me and what I can do which is good, as it proves that I am on the right path and that my hard work is paying off.