Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappe are arguably two of the best players in the world.
Erling Haaland singled Yamal out for praise last season while Manchester City tried to sign Mbappe when he was at AS Monaco, which suggests the respect he has commanded within the game for years.
Former City striker Julian Alvarez has the tall task of spearheading Atletico Madrid in the same division as the pair.
Considering the World Cup winner is one of Diego Simeone’s main men, the Atleti boss was quizzed about whether he is better than both Yamal and Mbappe among several other players by COPE.
Diego Simeone says Julian Alvarez is better than Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappe
Diego Simeone claimed Alvarez is better than the likes of Juliano Simeone, Jude Bellingham, Mohamed Salah, Raphinha, Cole Palmer, Ousmane Dembele, Vitinha, Erling Haaland, Pedri and Vinicius Jr.
The Argentine has been a talismanic presence since his move to the Spanish capital, with Luis Suarez naming Alvarez as the world’s best striker.
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While Thierry Henry praised Alvarez’s showings at Atletico Madrid by admitting he is one of his favourite number nines in modern football.
Julian Alvarez of Atletico de Madrid celebrates after scoring his team's first goal with teammates during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 UEFA Champions League 2024/25 Round of 16 first leg match between Real Madrid C.F. and Atletico de Madrid at Santiago Bernabeu stadium on March 04, 2025
Photo by Diego Souto/Getty Images
Diego Simeone seems to adore Alvarez as well, as he told COPE that the goalscorer is better than both Yamal and Mbappe as well.
Julian Alvarez stats compared to Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappe
Since leaving Manchester City, the Calchin-born forward has further cemented his reputation as a top-class player.
Last season, Alvarez’s numbers speak for themselves as well.
STATS IN ALL COMPETITIONS LAST SEASON GOALS ASSISTS
JULIAN ALVAREZ 29 7
LAMINE YAMAL 18 25
KYLIAN MBAPPE 43 5
Alvarez’s goal contributions of 36 (29 goals and seven assists) are fewer in comparison to Yamal and Mbappe’s respective tallies of 43 (18 goals and 15 assists) and 48 (43 goals and five assists).
However, considering Alvarez has been a revelation for Atletico Madrid, perhaps Diego Simeone is over the moon to have him at his disposal. From Manchester City’s standpoint, they would be wondering if they made a mistake by selling the 25-year-old.