Julián Alvarez
Active- Current or last club
- Atlético Madrid
- Country (nationality)
- Argentina
- League or competition
- La Liga
- Position
- Forward
- How is the religion known?
- Stated publicly by the player
- Last checked
- 8 October 2026
We list a player’s religion only where they have spoken about it publicly or it has been reliably reported, and we link our sources. If something is wrong, or a player’s views have changed, please tell us and we will review it.
Table of Contents
What religion is Julián Alvarez?
Julián Alvarez is an Argentine professional footballer who is a Christian and is believed to follow the Roman Catholic faith. Born and raised in Calchín, Argentina, a country deeply rooted in Roman Catholic traditions, Álvarez has spoken publicly about the importance of his spiritual beliefs.
His commitment to his values is also evident in his lifestyle; he stays away from tattoos, alcohol, and smoking out of deep respect for advice given by his father rooted in their family values.
Julián Alvarez plays for the La Liga club Atlético Madrid and the Argentina national team. He previously played in England for Manchester City, where he won the continental treble in the 2022-23 season. In August 2024, Alvarez signed for Atlético Madrid in a club-record departure deal worth up to €95 million.
Alvarez made his senior international debut in 2021. With the Argentina national football team, he has won the 2021 Copa América, the 2022 Finalissima, the 2022 FIFA World Cup, and the 2024 Copa América.
Early life and career beginnings
Born on 31 January 2000 in Calchín, Córdoba Province, Argentina, Alvarez is the son of Gustavo and Mariana Alvarez. He began his youth career at local club Atlético Calchín. Prior to joining River Plate, Alvarez underwent trials with Boca Juniors and Real Madrid and scored twice to help Real win a prestigious youth tournament during his month-long spell with the Spanish club. However, a move did not materialize on the back of that trial, due in part to age restrictions on foreign signings in Spain, with youngsters not able to move under the age of 13.
Alvarez later joined the River Plate youth academy in 2016, moving on from there.
River Plate
Alvarez was promoted to the River Plate first-team squad for the 2018–19 season, with the player making his professional debut on 27 October 2018 as a substitute in a 1–0 victory over Aldosivi. He later appeared as a substitute in the second leg of the 2018 Copa Libertadores final against rivals Boca Juniors.
In 2021, Alvarez helped the club win the Argentine Primera División. He finished as the competition’s top scorer with 18 goals and was subsequently named the South American Footballer of the Year. During a Copa Libertadores group stage match on 25 May 2022, he scored six goals in an 8–1 victory against Alianza Lima. Across his full first-team career with River Plate spanning from 2018 to mid-2022, he recorded 54 goals in 122 appearances across all competitions.
Manchester City
In January 2022, Manchester City triggered Alvarez’s release clause at River Plate for a reported fee of £14 million, signing him to a five-and-a-half-year contract. He was loaned back to River Plate for the remainder of the season before officially joining Manchester City in July 2022. He scored on his competitive debut, netting Manchester City’s lone goal as a second-half substitute during a 3–1 FA Community Shield defeat against Liverpool on 30 July 2022.
During Manchester City’s treble-winning 2022–23 campaign, Alvarez recorded 17 goals and 5 assists across all competitions while primarily serving as a backup to Erling Haaland. His contributions included a goal in the FA Cup semi-final and key appearances during their successful UEFA Champions League and FA Cup campaigns.
Amid an injury to Haaland the following year, Alvarez made 54 appearances during the 2023–24 season, scoring 19 goals across all competitions. Across his two-season tenure with the club, he made 103 appearances, scoring 36 goals and providing 19 assists while winning six major honors, including two Premier League titles, the FA Cup, the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Super Cup, and the FIFA Club World Cup.
Atlético Madrid
In August 2024, Atlético Madrid signed Alvarez from Manchester City in a deal reported to be worth up to €95 million with a release clause of €500 million. The transfer established a club-record sale for Manchester City and a club-record signing for Atlético Madrid. He signed a contract with the Spanish club running until June 2030.
Following the departure of Álvaro Morata, manager Diego Simeone installed Alvarez as a focal point of the club’s attack. By the conclusion of the 2025–26 season, Álvarez continued to feature for the club in La Liga and the UEFA Champions League, though Atlético Madrid had yet to secure a major trophy during his tenure.
Argentina national team
Alvarez represented Argentina at the under-20 level before making his senior international debut in 2021, winning the Copa América later that year. He was selected for Argentina’s squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, where he finished as the team’s second-highest goalscorer behind Lionel Messi. His tournament contributions included scoring a brace in a 3–0 semifinal victory over Croatia before Argentina secured the title by defeating France on penalties in the final. He won a second consecutive Copa América with the national team in 2024.
During the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign, Alvarez scored in a 4–1 victory against Vinícius Júnior‘s Brazil in March 2025 to secure Argentina’s qualification and subsequently scored the lone goal in a 1–0 qualifying win over Chile. Prior to the 2026 FIFA World Cup tournament finals, he had recorded 14 goals in 51 caps for Argentina. At the final tournament, he scored during a quarter-final victory against Switzerland. Argentina subsequently defeated England in the semi-finals before finishing as runners-up following a 1–0 extra-time defeat to Spain in the final on 19 July 2026.
Personal life
Alvarez has two brothers, Agustín and Rafael, and both brothers have played football and later moved to Spain to continue their careers.
Alvarez holds dual Argentine-Italian nationality, meaning his Italian passport allows him to register for Atlético Madrid in La Liga as an EU player instead of occupying a non-EU quota spot.
In 2025, Alvarez’s girlfriend became pregnant. They subsequently welcomed their first child, a boy born on January 2, 2026.
