At just 24 years old, Julian Alvarez is effectively on the verge of ‘finishing’ football.
The Argentine has the perfect chance to do so in the next few weeks as he competes for Olympic gold at Paris 2024 to complete his collection.
Two years ago he was part of the Argentina squad that won the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
It came just months after he won a treble in his debut campaign with Manchester City that included the Premier League, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League.
He became the first player in history to be crowned world champion and domestic treble winner in the same season.
And a Copa America and Finalsima champion, Alvarez has a few more to win before he can claim to have won everything in football.
OLYMPIC FOOTBALL: ARGENTINA AT PARIS 2024
Argentina know what it takes to win gold at the Games.
Having done it twice before – Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 – this is no new territory for them. Even better, two-time gold medallist Javier Mascherano leads them to glory.
But their Paris 2024 campaign did not get off to a good start, giving us one of the most controversial moments of the Games even before the opening ceremony.
Mascherano’s side were beaten 2-1 by Morocco in dramatic fashion.
With the equaliser in stoppage time (106 minutes at this point), relief was palpable among fans and players – the game was about to end at 2-2 and they had salvaged a point. The commotion on the field left the referee with no choice but to stop play and send the players back to the tunnel.
Almost two hours later, the players returned to the field to play the remaining three minutes after Argentina’s equaliser was ruled offside; Morocco would hold on to their lead to record a shock win in the opening game of the Games.
They knew a first-day loss meant they would have to win the match against Iraq to harbour their hopes of progressing to the knockout stage.
A comfortable 3-1 win secured them a place in the next round and Alvarez continued to shine as he registered two assists and led his side to a crucial win.
All things considered, the Argentinians here are building to an all-time campaign if they go on to defeat every country that comes their way.
Yes, there are always trophies to be won in domestic football and nothing is a treble – and when it comes to international football, they have ticked off every major accolade from their list.
Except for Olympic gold, that is. Topping the podium here could be one of the sweetest victories of their careers, despite all its insignificance.
Victory against Ukraine on Tuesday (July 30) will give Alvarez the chance to ‘complete’ international football with the last medal on his wishlist as they begin the knockout stage.
JULIAN ALVAREZ’S STACKED TROPHY CABINET
Here are the current honours Alvarez has to his name…
Argentina (2021–Present)
- FIFA World Cup (2022)
- Copa America (2021, 2024)
- CONMEBOL – UEFA Cup of Champions (2022)
Manchester City (2022–Present)
- Premier League (22/23, 23/24)
- FA Cup (22/23)
- UEFA Champions League (22/23)
- UEFA Super Cup (2023)
- FIFA Club World Cup (2023)
River Plate (2018–2022)
- Argentine Primera Division (2021)
- Copa Argentina (18/19)
- Supercopa Argentina (2019)
- Trofeo de Campeones (2021)
- Copa Libertadores (2018)
- Recopa Sudamericana (2019)
