Edson Álvarez
Edson Omar Álvarez Velázquez (, born 24 October 1997) is a Mexican professional footballer who plays for Eredivisie club Ajax and the Mexico national team. Mainly a defensive midfielder, he is also capable of playing as a centre-back. Early life. Álvarez was born in Tlalnepantla de Baz, a municipality just north of Mexico City, to Adriana Velázquez and Evaristo Álvarez. As a child he would work for his family's business of manufacturing football jerseys for local teams, which he cites as his first foray into the sport. At age 14, Álvarez tried out for the youth team  of Pachuca, though Álvarez did not make the team due to his short stature. Contemplating quitting football, to the resistance of his parents who believed he had the talent to pursue his dream of playing professionally, Álvarez decided to try out for Club América's youth team, eventually making the team after a three-month tryout. He would make it to the daily team practices by way of a three-to-four-hour round trip commute from his home in Tlalnepantla and the club's training ground in Coapa. According to Álvarez, he would spend almost 70 percent of his  monthly salary toward transportation. Club career. América. In 2014, at age 16, Álvarez joined Club América's youth system, playing for the under-17 team. The following year, while still playing for the under-17 squad, Álvarez was promoted to América's second division team. In August 2016, first team coach Ignacio Ambríz gave Álvarez his first call-up, sitting on the bench in América's week 5 league match against Monarcas Morelia, using the jersey number 282. On 29 October, newly appointed coach Ricardo La Volpe gave 19 year-old Álvarez his Liga MX debut in the team's win over  Santos Laguna; he played all 90 minutes and was voted third in a "Man of the Match" online poll by club fans. On 25 December, he scored his first career goal in the Apertura final against Tigres UANL. Prior to the start of the 2017–18 season, Álvarez was handed the number 4 shirt, which was vacated following the departure of Erik Pimentel. On 16 December 2018, Álvarez was given the start for the return leg of the Apertura final against Cruz Azul, playing in midfield in place of the injured Mateus Uribe, and scored twice as América won its 13th  league title following a 2–0 aggregate score. On 23 February 2019, Álvarez made his 100th competitive appearance for América in the team's 3–0 victory over Lobos BUAP. Ajax. On 19 July 2019, Dutch club Ajax announced an agreement with Club América for the signing of Álvarez on a five-year contract, subject to a medical, for a reported fee of US$17 million. He successfully passed his medical and was officially presented on 22 July, being handed the number 4 shirt which had been vacated following the departure of Matthijs de Ligt. The club announced an official transfer sum  of €15 million. On 17 August, Álvarez made his competitive debut for Ajax as a 74th minute substitute in the team's 4–1 league win over VVV-Venlo. On 29 August, Álvarez scored his first goal in his first start against APOEL in the second-leg of the UEFA Champions League play-off round. On 17 September, Álvarez scored the second goal in the 3–0 Champions League group stage victory over Lille, becoming the first Mexican player to score on his Champions League debut. On 21 March 2021, Álvarez scored his first Eredivisie goal for Ajax in a 5–0  victory over ADO Den Haag. At the end of his second season, he was nominated for best player of the league. On 27 October 2021, it was announced Álvarez signed a contract extension with Ajax until 2025. On 30 April 2022 he was inducted into the clubs' Club van 100, making his 100th appearance in a 3–0 league victory over PEC Zwolle, becoming the 174th player in the history of the club to join the ranks. International career. Mexico U-20. Álvarez was called up for the Mexico national under-20 football team camp preparing for the 2017 CONCACAF U-20 Championship en  route to the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup. He was included in the tournament's best XI. He was included in the World Cup under-20 squad, and scored the winning goal in Mexico's 3–2 win over Group B minnows Vanuatu. Mexico national team. On 30 January 2017, Álvarez received his first call up to Mexico's senior squad for a friendly against Iceland. He made his senior debut on 8 February against Iceland, replacing Jesús Molina in the 60th minute. Along with Alejandro Mayorga, Álvarez was cited to be a supporting practice squad player with the Confederations Cup team . He was called up to the Gold Cup, making him the youngest player on the squad. The roster was largely composed of alternate players, as the primary squad was in Russia competing in the Confederations Cup. On 17 July, in the last game of the group stage against Curaçao, Álvarez scored his first goal for the national team in their 2–0 win, becoming the youngest Mexican player to score a goal in a Gold Cup tournament at 19 years old. In May 2018, Álvarez was named to Mexico's preliminary 28-man squad for the World Cup. He was the  youngest player on the list. He was ultimately included in the final 23-man roster revealed on 4 June. He appeared in all of Mexico's group stage matches; in Mexico's final group match against Sweden, Álvarez started at right-back and scored an own goal at the 74th minute in Mexico's 3–0 loss. He also started in the round-of-16 defeat to Brazil. In May 2019, Álvarez was included in Gerardo Martino's provisional Gold Cup roster. In a friendly match against Venezuela, he suffered an apparent knee injury but was revealed to only be a scare . He was included in the final list for the competition. Álvarez appeared as a starter in five matches, including the final, as Mexico would go on to win the tournament. Honours. América Ajax Mexico Individual