As an 11-year-old kid playing for River Plate in Argentina, Julian Alvarez told a reporter that his idol was Lionel Messi and that his favourite team is Barcelona.
According to Manchester City director of football Joan Patsy, Alvarez' agent offered him to Barcelona in 2021 but the move never saw the light of day.
Man City eventually spotted his talent and paid €21.4m to sign the River Plate striker in January.
The 22-year-old has proven to be worth his weight in gold by scoring 7 goals in his first 20 matches for the Cityzens. That's despite deputizing for Erling Haaland.
He rubberstamped his quality by tallying four World Cup goals to help Argentina win the biggest trophy in World football.
Alvarez would've cost Barca a lot less than they eventually spent on Ferran Torres if they were willing to take the gamble.
