Ricardo "Ricky" Gabriel Álvarez (Spanish pronunciation: [riˈkaɾðo ɣaˈβɾjel ˈalβaɾes]; born 12 April 1988) is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder.

At international level, Álvarez was a member of the Argentine squad that reached the 2014 FIFA World Cup Final.

[5] The midfielder's breakthrough with the team finally came during the 2010 Clausura, in which Vélez, forced by the tight fixture of the Copa Libertadores, played mostly with substitutes.

[9] During the first semester of 2011, Álvarez received significant fan and media praise for his league and Copa Libertadores' matches.

His first official goal for Inter came against Trabzonspor on 22 November 2011 after a neat one-two with international teammate Diego Milito.

Ten days later, in a Coppa Italia match at San Siro, he scored again against Roma, but Inter lost 2–3 in an eventual 5–3 aggregate loss.

[16] Álvarez suffered an injury to his right knee during a goalless draw with Swansea City in September 2014, which limited his appearances for the remainder of the season to 13 league games.

[17] The automatic purchase clause in Álvarez's contract would have been void if the player suffered a flare-up of a known case of tendinopathy in his left knee which had then prevented him from playing.

[20] On the back of the announcement, Sunderland's chairman also revealed that Álvarez had appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport over the amount awarded for lost earnings during the first half of the 2015–16 season while his contract ownership was under dispute.

[23] In the last days of December 2015, he was linked with a move to Italian side Sampdoria[24] which was finally concluded on 4 January of the following year, with Álvarez signing a contract until 30 June 2016.

[29] A left-footed and technically gifted playmaker, Álvarez is usually deployed as an attacking midfielder, due to his ability to both score and create goals.

[31] Nicknamed Ricky Maravilla, he was regarded as a talented and promising prospect in his youth, and his elegant playing style, shy personality, height and physique initially drew comparisons with Kaká and Javier Pastore, although he has stated that his main inspirations as a footballer were Zinedine Zidane and Riquelme.

[30][31][32][37][38] His main attributes are his powerful striking ability from distance, dribbling skills, and creativity,[31][33] which along with his movement and acceleration often sees him exploit spaces by embarking on trademark solo runs with the ball;[39][40][41] however, he has also drawn criticism from pundits for his lack of pace and inconsistent performances.