- Both players joined City in summer
- Alvarez came from River Plate
- Haaland is Boca Juniors fan
WHAT HAPPENED? Alvarez and Haaland moved to Manchester City in the summer from River Plate and Borussia Dortmund respectively. The pair have already amassed 51 goal contributions between them in all competitions and the 23-year-old World Cup winner was full of praise for his Norwegian team-mate beyond mere football terms, although did take issue with Haaland's apparent allegiance to Boca Juniors - River Plate's arch-rivals.
WHAT THEY SAID: "Beyond what we all know football-wise, he [Haaland] is a good guy," Alvarez said in an interview with TyC Sports. "He helps me, we talk and from the outside I try to watch him to learn. Since I arrived he used to tell me that he was a Boca fan and talked to me about La Bombonera. I think he was with Leonardo Balerdi at Borussia Dortmund and that was a bit of an influence. Let's see if we can change it little by little, it's going to be difficult but we're going to try."
THE BIGGER PICTURE: While Haaland has got the majority of the plaudits for his record-breaking start to life in England, Alvarez has popped up with some important performances for Guardiola's side, particularly as an impact substitute late on. Despite his last FA Cup outing being one to forget, the Argentina international will be hoping to feature for City in their Champions League return fixture against RB Leipzig, having been an unused substitute in a 1-1 draw in the first leg.
IN THREE PHOTOS:
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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR ALVAREZ? The City will have to wait for that opportunity however, as Guardiola's side are next in action on Saturday, when they travel to Premier League strugglers Crystal Palace.