Julian Alvarez’s phone did not stop ringing last summer. Calls came from Rodrigo de Paul, Antoine Griezmann and Giuliano Simeone — and behind them all, messages from Diego Simeone. The World Cup-winning Argentina striker, fresh from sealing the Premier League with Manchester City, had to plead for a pause. "Tell your dad to stop calling," he told Giuliano. He was coming to Atletico, he said — could they all give him some space?
Alvarez’s rise began in Calchin, a Córdoba town of just 3,000. His brother Rafael gave him the nickname 'La Aranita' — the Little Spider — because no one could prise the ball from him on the local pitch. At 11 he trialled with Real Madrid but returned home; at 15 River Plate scout Juanjo Borrelli brought him to Buenos Aires and he broke through rapidly. A breakout Copa Libertadores display — six goals in an 8-1 win over Alianza Lima — announced him to a wider world. Playing for River Plate, he says, made winning an obligation: "Once you're at River," he said, "you can never lose a game without it hurting you."
City signed him in January 2022 and he won the Champions League in his debut season under Pep Guardiola at 23. But it was Simeone’s persistent court
