Julián Alvarez[α] (Spanish pronunciation: [xuˈljan ˈalβaɾes]; born 31 January 2000) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for La Liga club Atlético Madrid and the Argentina national team.

Alvarez began his football career in his native Argentina, where he was an academy graduate of River Plate, making his first-team debut for the club in 2018.

[3] Alvarez joined River Plate from Atlético Calchín in 2016, notably participating in the Generation Adidas Cup with the club's youth teams.

[5] Alvarez was moved into River Plate's senior squad under manager Marcelo Gallardo during the 2018–19 season, with his professional debut arriving on 27 October 2018 during a Primera División fixture with Aldosivi; he was subbed on for Rodrigo Mora with 26 minutes remaining of a 1–0 victory.

[11] On 31 January 2022, his 22nd birthday, it was confirmed that Alvarez had signed for Premier League champions Manchester City on a five-and-a-half-year contract for a transfer fee in the region of £14 million,[12] and an agreement that the player would remain at River Plate on loan until July.

[13] Alvarez made his competitive debut on 30 July, where City lost 3–1 to rivals Liverpool in the 2022 FA Community Shield, scoring his team's only goal in the process.

[17] On 17 May 2023, Alvarez scored the last goal in a 4–0 win over Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-final second leg, which cemented his club's qualification to the final.

[21] Following the injuries of Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne, Alvarez began featuring more regularly in the starting eleven, registering four goal contributions in his next Premier League matches, including two assists in a 3–1 away win over West Ham United on 16 September.

[32] In preparation for the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup, he scored the second goal against Saudi Arabia in what was a 5–0 victory, during a friendly tournament played in Spain.

[4][34] Alvarez made his debut for the Argentina senior team on 3 June 2021, in a World Cup qualifier against Chile as a 62nd-minute substitute for Ángel Di María.

[40][41] On 18 December, he was involved in Argentina's second goal as his team defeated France 4–2 on penalties after the match ended 3–3 in extra-time of the final to win the World Cup.

His slightly hunched running style allows him to barrel through challenges and protect the ball effectively, and there is a tenacity and doggedness to his carrying that makes him difficult to stop.