Julian Alvarez had a pretty great 2022, let's face it.

Having only made his debut for Argentina in 2021, the 22-year-old finished his second year in the blue and white stripes with the World Cup trophy in his hands.

The era of Carlos Tevez, Sergio Aguero and Gonzalo Higuain might have passed, but Alvarez ensured that Argentina didn't miss them one bit as he scored four goals en route to a historic triumph in Qatar.

Marry that to a solid start to life at Manchester City, scoring seven goals so far, despite having to play second fiddle to Erling Haaland and it's fair to say that Alvarez is living the dream right now.

In fact, according to the Mirror, his remarkable achievements over the last 12 months have been rewarded with the freedom of his hometown and the promise of a statue to be commissioned in his honour.

Why is there a petition for Alvarez and his girlfriend to break up?

Not bad for a young lad all things considered, but sadly, it's not all perfect in paradise as there are 20,000 fans that Alvarez surely disagrees very strongly with right now.

That's because the Mirror have astonishingly revealed that an online petition calling for the City forward to break up with his long-term partner has gathered - you guessed it - 20,000 signatures.

Apparently, one fan was so infuriated by the "refusal" of Alvarez's girlfriend, Emelia Ferrero, to allow a group of fans to pose for a photograph with the Argentina hero that they set up the appeal for the four-year relationship to come to an end.

Footage which has since been posted on social media appears to show Ferrero stepping in when a group of fans can be seen gathering to see Alvarez around Christmas time.

Video: The controversial footage of Alvarez and his girlfriend

A report by Clarin, which we are hitherto unable to translate with 100% accuracy, indicates that Ferrero was trying to hurry up the process as opposed to denying photographs per se.

Marry that to the video and we can infer, though cannot confirm, that Alvarez's girlfriend was attempting to get a group picture so that each fan could be satisfied in one go.

Alvarez holds up his World Cup medal.

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 31: Julian Alvarez of Manchester City acknowledges the fans with their FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Winners Medal prior to the Premier League match between Manchester City and Everton FC at Etihad Stadium on December 31, 2022 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Eddie Keogh/Getty Images)

What did Alvarez's girlfriend say about the incident?

Clarin then cites Ferrero as having taken to Instagram to explain her side of the story with a rough Google translation of the post going as follows: "Hello everyone! First of all, happy holidays.

"I think it is necessary to put the situation that has gone viral in recent days in context. On Thursday we met with my family for dinner, after not seeing each other for so long.

"It was 2 in the morning, some boys/girls arrived, most of them my students, with whom I have a lot of confidence. Before we left, Juli went out to greet the boys and decided to take a group photo, so everyone could take that nice memory with them. 

"I only tried to organize. I apologize if the way I reacted was not the best , I hope you know how to understand."

There had been unfounded rumours that the pair had split up, but these were strongly refuted by loved-up images shared by the couple to celebrate the arrival of 2023.

Alvarez had reportedly been given permission to return to duties at the Etihad Stadium in the New Year, but had instead got back to business on Friday much to the surprise of City's staff.


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