Julian Alvarez is slowly forcing his way into carving out a permanent place for himself in the Manchester City starting lineup.
The Argentine forward arrived at the club knowing that he faces competition from a certain goal machine in Erling Haaland for the centre-forward role.
However, Alvarez is not one to back down from challenges – something he quite clearly showed at the Qatar World Cup.
Even though he was taken to Qatar as a backup to Lautaro Martinez, the 23-year-old forward managed to bulldoze his way into Lionel Scaloni’s plans and managed to bench the Inter Milan star.
Alvarez enjoying a prolific debut season with Man City
Alvarez ended the competition with four goals, including a brilliant brace in the semi-finals against Croatia and an impressive performance in the World Cup final against France as well.
City fans probably can’t believe their luck to have two of the most promising young forwards in world football and are hopeful that the duo can build a devastating partnership at the club.
Even though the Citizens are not playing at their very best and struggling to beat Arsenal to the Premier League title race, the Argentine forward’s performances have been really encouraging.
He scored in City’s recent 4-1 win over Bournemouth in the Premier League – which was his 10th of the season (in all competitions) for the Citizens.
Alvarez’s message to City fans after Bournemouth win
Reaching double figures in his first season in England is an impressive feat and Alvarez celebrated it with a message for the fans after the game. Surprisingly, he gave the message in English and said: “Hi everyone, Julian here. Thank you for the support today and I’m very happy for score a goal. Come on City!”
Alvarez did not know much English at all when he arrived in England, having spent his entire career in Argentina – where he spoke the Spanish language.
But it appears that the 23-year-old is putting in the effort to learn English and is using the help of a language teacher to help him progress quickly.
Who is Alvarez’s teacher Sara Duque?
The Argentine forward’s English language teacher, Sara Duque, is turning heads among football fans because of her stunning appearance.
However, behind her beauty, Duque is a really smart person and a former sports lawyer – who practised in Belgium for three years.
Duque did not really like the Sports Lawyer profession that much and wanted to be more involved with football and those involved in it.
As a result, she obtained a Master’s degree in Sports Psychology and Mental Coaching at the Real Madrid Graduate School in Spain. After that, Duque also got a Mental Game Coach Certification from the USA.
She has worked with FC Porto in the past as a football language coach, helping their players in improving their communication skills.
Duque has a stunning vocabulary, being able to speak Portuguese, English, German, French and Spanish fluently.
Duque is passionate about helping footballers communicate better in public and seems to be doing a good job in helping Alvarez improve his English-speaking ability.
She recently also posted a photo with him on Instagram, praising him for his progression and wrote: “From lifting the World Cup to conquering a new language – my student’s talents know no bounds!” Alvarez thanked her for helping him in the comments too.
It also appears that Alvarez isn’t the only City player who is working with Duque. Even their new young signing Kayky is also working on his English and using her help for that.
It’s quite important for a footballer to be well-versed in the language of the country he’s playing in – so to see Alvarez work on his English-speaking fluency is another indication that the Argentine probably sees himself at City for many years to come.