Julián Alvarez (Spanish pronunciation: [xuˈljan ˈalbaɾeθ]; 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. There, he spent four seasons and won the Copa Argentina, 2018 Copa Libertadores and the Argentine Primera División in 2021, finishing as the competition's top scorer. He was named the South American Footballer of the Year in 2021. He was signed by Manchester City in 2022, winning a treble of the Premier League, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League in his debut campaign, before leaving for Atlético Madrid in 2024 in a club-record departure deal worth up to €95 million. Alvarez previously represented Argentina at various youth levels, competing at the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup and 2020 CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament. He made his senior international debut in 2021, and played for the squads that won the 2021 Copa América, the 2022 Finalissima, the 2022 FIFA World Cup,the 2024 Copa América and reached the final of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.