Manchester City is a club on top of the world right now. The British team won the Premier League, the Champions League, and the FA Cup last year, becoming just the second British team in history to win the iconic treble of League, Cup, and Champions League. Then the team capped it all off with a European Super Cup this year. And one of the names on the team that everyone’s talking about is Argentinian forward, Julián Alvarez.

The 23-year-old, who was an integral part of Argentina’s World Cup-winning team and Manchester City’s treble-winning team, became the first player ever to win both a treble and a World Cup in the same season last year. Previously, he was also part of Argentina’s Copa America winning team and River Plate’s Copa Libertadores winning team. 

In March 2023, Alvarez signed a new contract that is set to keep him at Manchester City until 2028. At that time, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola praised Alvarez’s work ethic and vision. “He always has (a) chance to score. In the training sessions we see how clinical he is and how fast, and clever he is in those moments.” 

Sergio Agüero, Manchester City’s all-time leading scorer, and another Argentinian, also praised the team’s decision to sign Alvarez for a long-term deal. “Arriving from Argentina and kickstarting your career in the Premier League – especially in a team filled with amazing players like City – is easier said than done,” Aguero said, adding that Alvarez has “already proven he’s a talented and reliable player, up to the quality that a major club like City demand.” 

Born in Calchín, Argentina, the forward, whose nickname is “La Araña” or “The Spider,” because as a kid he was so good it seemed like he had more than two legs, is considered one of the best young talents in fútbol. He proved it as a kid in his hometown when he joined Argentinian club River Plate at 15. His coming in as a substitute earned him a spot in Argentina’s World Cup-winning team, and at Manchester City, where he’s only just beginning.

And he’s doing so with a smile.

Alvarez plays the game like he’s always having fun, and wants fans to enjoy it as well. In fact, Alvarez said in a press conference last year that he wanted “to bring happiness to fans with assists and goals. That’s exactly what he’s done since then, and what Manchester City and Argentina hope he can continue to do for years to come.