Atletico Madrid sign Julian Alvarez for £81.5m: Decoding his stats
Atletico Madrid have completed the signing of Manchester City striker Julian Alvarez. Spanish giants Atletico signed the Argentine for a whopping £81.5m. As per BBC, the fee is made up of an initial £64.4m with a further £17.1m in potential add-ons. Alvarez joined Man City in January 2022 and made 103 appearances for the Premier League champions. We decode his stats.
Why does this story matter?
Alvarez came to Man City from River Plate for £14m. Winning the FIFA World Cup 2022 with Argentina and backing it with the 2024 Copa America honor, meant Alvarez was looking for being more involved. With Erling Haaland as Man City's main striking option, Alvarez was always the back-up. Despite making over 50 appearances last season, Alvarez felt he missed the key moments.
36 goals and 17 assists for Man City
Alvarez becomes Man City's record sale, going past the £54.8m they received for Leroy Sane from Bayern Munich in the summer of 2020. As mentioned, Alvarez made 103 appearances in the two seasons he spent at Man City. He scored 17 goals in 49 matches in 2022-23. In the 2023-24 season, he scored 19 goals in 54 matches. He also made 17 assists.
Alvarez's overall Premier League stats
Alvarez made 67 appearances in the Premier League, scoring 20 goals and making nine assists. He scored three penalties and one freekick. Out of his 145 shots, 62 of them were on target. He hit the woodwork three times. Alvarez created nine big chances. He also made 50 tackles, four interceptions and 18 clearances.
Breaking down his stats in the Premier League 2023-24 season
Alvarez made 36 appearances in the Premier League 2023-24 season. He scored 11 goals and made nine assists. As per Squawka comparison matrix (data by Opta), Alvarez clocked 75 shots (excluding blocks) with 40 of them being on target. He hit the woodwork twice. He created 65 chances and owned a pass accuracy of 87.93%. He completed 49 lay-offs and won 56 ground duels.
Alvarez won a host of trophies with Man City
During his two-season spell, Alvarez collected a host of trophies. He won successive Premier League titles in addition to winning the FA Cup in 2022-23 and being the runner-up in 2023-24. He also won the UEFA Champions League honor in 2022-23, being part of the treble-winning side. Alvarez also lifted the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup.
A serial winner with Argentina
Alvarez has made 36 appearances for national team Argentina, scoring nine goals. He made his debut in 2021 and had a solid 2022, scoring seven goals in 14 matches. Notably, he played seven matches at the 2022 Qatar World Cup, scoring four goals and helping his side lift the trophy. He has won four honors with the Argentina national team, including two Copa Americas.
What about his performance at River Plate?
Alvarez made 122 appearances for River Plate before joining Man City. He ended up with 54 goals for the side. He won six trophies with River Plate, including the Argentine Primera Division in 2021.
