The Deadly Spider: Meet Julian Albers, the next great Argentine striker
Until a year and a half ago he was a bench player at River Plate and today he is already one of the hottest names in European clubs.
Even before he celebrates 22, the Argentine striker dreams of entering the space left behind by Sergio Aguero and putting Calcin on the map
Michael Yochin
24/12/2021
Friday, 24 December 2021, 14:00 Updated: 14:35
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Sergio Aguero has retired in tears, and now European football is ready for the next big Argentine striker, perhaps the natural heir to Cone who arrived at Atletico Madrid from Independiente in 2006. The Spanish champion would also like to see Julian Albers in its ranks, and Diego Simeone has praised him recently, but it's not really surprising, because it will be very difficult to find a big club that has not linked in recent weeks to the scorer's name, who will celebrate his 22nd birthday next month.
Barcelona, Real Madrid, Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Inter, Juventus, Ajax ... left, it's a shame to waste the lines - this is only a partial list. Everyone wants the star whose release clause is reportedly $ 25 million. When looking at its performance over the past season, it is a bargain price in terms of current market.
Albers, who was a bench player at River Plate until a year and a half ago, performed miracles and wonders in 2021.
He was crowned the top scorer in the Argentine league with 18 conquests en route to a relatively easy championship win, handing out six cooks along the way as well, but the dry figures do not tell the full picture.
The young diamond completely took over what was happening, and at times it seemed that the league existed only for him.
Take, for example, the big superclassico against Boca Juniors in October - it was a private show by Albers that scored a double in a 1-2 win, including a spectacular goal by a missile from distance after a slalom in midfield.
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Barcelona, Real Madrid, Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Inter, Juventus, Ajax ... left, it's a shame to waste the lines - this is only a partial list.
Albers (Photo: GettyImages, Rodrigo Valle)
Long-range kicks are an integral part of a very diverse striker's arsenal. Albers, just 170 inches, has been defined as a central striker this season, but is very mobile, likes to get the ball deep in the pitch, dribble and threaten the frame in almost any situation. It does not prevent him from also being a broad beast with well-developed senses for pushing light goals out of the goalkeeper's box. And all this together does not mean that he is selfish - on the contrary, he is a player who would prefer to give to a free friend even when he only sees the goalkeeper in front of him. The quality of his decision making under pressure is very impressive for a young and inexperienced player. Add to that the fact that Albers has absolute control over both legs (even if he prefers to kick right) in principle, and you get a striker who can strive for perfection. "There is no limit to his potential," says River Plate president Jorge Brito.
The commotion around him in Argentina is so great that journalists come to his hometown of Calcin to interview the teachers at his school and the local postman. There are about 3,000 inhabitants there, and even in the province of Córdoba very few had heard of this place before the rise of Albers. Today the whole country knows the name, and those who have followed it since childhood it should come as no surprise. They knew him as a "spider" - the nickname his big brother gave him because he knew how to catch every ball as if he had more than two legs, and that was really the feeling. The boy's talent was known not only in the town. After all, Real Madrid scouts - no less! - Already visited Calcin in 2011, and convinced enough to take Julian to exams at the group's academy.
Yes, a decade ago the boy was proud to be photographed with Gonzalo Higuain and Angel Di Maria at Real's training facility, and also participated in the “Clasico” game against Barcelona in which he demonstrated high ability.
The thing is that under the regulations foreign players are not allowed to sign at the age of 11, and the Spaniards sent him back to Argentina, perhaps with the aim of bringing him back in due course.
This goal has never been realized, and Albers himself testifies that he takes the other side in the mythological rivalry.
As a fan of Leo Messi, he leans alongside Barcelona, and this is the team he chooses when he plays on the PlayStation.
Manchester City is also a second priority there.
Did we mention Con Aguero?
Perhaps there is also a hint to come here.
Testifies that he takes the other side in the mythological rivalry.
As a fan of Leo Messi, he leans alongside Barcelona.
Albers (Photo: GettyImages, Diego Alberto Haliasz)
In Argentina he never had any doubt about the preferred club. Almost all of the residents of Kalchin, and the province of Córdoba in general, are River Plate fans, and already in first grade, Albers used to scribble her shirts with the diagonal red stripe in drawing lessons. Was not happier than he was when he joined her academy at the age of 13, after the tests at Boca Juniors actually failed, and it was symbolic that one of his first games in the senior team uniform was against the big rival from Buenos Aires, but very far from home.
It was December 2018, when the Copa Libertadores final rematch was moved to the Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid due to fan violence, and the coaching staff chose to send the 18-year-old to the pitch during extra time, plus with a No. 9 shirt on his back. Albers was there when River Plate scored twice to lift the trophy, and also closed an amusing personal circle at Real Madrid's stadium, but his ambitions to break into the first squad immediately as a result had to wait, what's his pitch was still unclear, and Albers was seen primarily as a winger. Only when other key strikers left did coach Marcello Gerardo incorporate him in the preferred position, and the results were brilliant.
By the end of 2020 the spider had scored 5 goals, and perhaps should have given him more than a few minutes as a substitute in the semi-final, in which River Plate surrendered to the Palmiers.
This year, the stage was already his undisputed, and representatives from all the luxury clubs closely followed his progress.
His status as the future striker of Argentine football is decisive, and national coach Lionel Scaloni has summoned the rising star to the squad for the Copa America.
Albers may have partnered in just one game in the tournament, but fulfilled the dream of collaborating with Messi and Aguero, and eventually even honored to receive the gold medal.
Not everyone has this kind of luck, and perhaps this fact also bodes well for the future.
"Julian is very young. He is developing wonderfully, and the whole world is talking about him, but we think he should wait with the transition."
Albers (Photo: Reuters)
Meanwhile River Plate is broadcasting, at least outwardly, intentions to keep the spider in its ranks for another year and offer him an improved contract with a higher release clause.
"Julian is very young. He is developing great, and all over the world he is talked about, but we think he should wait with the move, even when thinking about the World Cup at the end of 2022. Young stars should leave River Plate when they have reached their peak and exhausted themselves here, and that is not the case Of Albers right now, "Brito said.
However, the chances of realizing this plan do not seem high.
The scorer has already expressed his desire to try his hand in Europe, and many and varied options are available to him.
He just needs to choose the target wisely, and not get to a place where he will be required to prove himself from the edge of the bench in order to get minutes of play.
This is not a trivial task, but based on his achievements in the past year, the sky is the limit for him, and the comparisons to Aguero do not seem unfounded.
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