Manchester City’s Julian Alvarez has made an indelible mark in football history, becoming the first player to secure a European Cup, league and domestic cup treble, alongside a World Cup, all in one season. This achievement comes after the forward’s impressive three-goal performance in his debut Champions League season.
Historically, nine other players have claimed both a European Cup or Champions League and a World Cup in a single season. However, none of these players, including the likes of Bayern Munich and Germany’s 1974 squad members Hans-Georg Schwarzenbeck and Gerd Muller, also secured a domestic double in the same season.
Despite playing less than half of City’s games this season, Alvarez finished as the club’s second top scorer with 17 goals and was the third highest goal scorer at the 2022 World Cup. City’s success included a Premier League victory over Arsenal by five points, an FA Cup final win against Manchester United, and a Champions League victory against Inter Milan. This achievement was mirrored on the international stage as Argentina claimed the World Cup title over France.
Alvarez is also the 10th player to clinch a European championship with his club and a world championship with his country in the same season. This feat would have gone to Inter’s Lautaro Martinez, another Argentine striker, had Inter won the championship.
Manchester City’s Julian Alvarez also joins the short list of 13 players who have won both the Champions League and its South American counterpart, the Copa Libertadores.
Before joining Manchester City, Alvarez had an impressive stint at River Plate, playing in the 2018 final which River Plate won against Boca Juniors. He was later signed by City from River, triggering a £14m release clause in January 2022, though he remained on loan with the Buenos Aires side until the summer.
The forward had a packed schedule, having played almost three years of continuous football, a streak that began in September 2020. During this period, he has played 165 games and scored 75 goals, which includes a golden boot-winning performance in the 2021 Argentine Premier Division during River’s title-winning season.
While at City, Alvarez played 49 games under Pep Guardiola this season, starting 23 of them and scoring 17 goals across all competitions. He often partnered with top scorer Erling Haaland in the forward line, and sometimes filled in for midfielders like Kevin de Bruyne.
Alvarez’s remarkable season was capped off with a World Cup win with Argentina in Qatar. He initially started as a substitute, but subsequently played key roles in the knockout stages, scoring four goals. This achievement contributes to Alvarez’s unique record of winning 13 different trophies, each one a different title.
5 comments
Wow, just Wow. I mean this Alvarez kid is just fire, isn’t he? Hard to believe he’s only 23! What a year he’s had.
Ive been following city for yrs and let me tell u, Julian is a beast. best signing in a long time. Hats off to the scouts at city, they’ve got an eye for talent.
Man, this lad is phenomenal. Makes us Argentinians super proud. Winning World Cup was already a dream, this is just cherry on top!
is it just me or is Alvarez seriously underrated?!? 17 goals while not even starting half the matches… unbelievable stuff.
Honestly, I was sceptical at first when he signed for City but man has he proved me wrong. The lad’s got talent! He’s going places, mark my words.