Julio Álvarez Mosquera

Real Madrid

A playmaker, Álvarez was born in Caracas and moved to Spain aged 4 to reunite with his parents, settling in Sada, Galicia. He showed early promise while playing for Spain at youth level, winning the 1999 Meridian Cup with the under-17 team and also appearing at the 1998 UEFA European Under-16 Championship (third place). Subsequently, he joined Real Madrid to finish his development but, despite very good performances overall for the B and C sides, could never break into the main squad. Álvarez was loaned by Real to Racing de Santander for 2000–01. However, he was mostly injured, and could not help the Cantabria team to escape La Liga relegation at the season's end. The following campaign, with 31 matches and one goal, he helped them to quickly return to the top flight. In July 2002, Álvarez was sent on loan again, to top-tier club Rayo Vallecano where he scored eight times, but again his side was relegated, now as last.

Murcia

Álvarez signed a four-year contract with Real Murcia CF on 15 July 2003. He suffered an injury before playing any games for his new club, and struggled throughout the vast majority of the season, finishing with 12 just appearances as the side went on to rank 20th in the main division. Fully recovered, Álvarez went on to be a very important team player, despite a poor year collectively in 2005–06 that almost ended in another relegation – he also established himself as a free kick specialist.

Numancia and Almería…

Álvarez won 28 caps for Spain across all youth levels. On 14 October 2011, after switching allegiance to his country of birth, the 30-year-old made his debut for Venezuela in a 1–0 home win against Argentina for the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. Additionally, Álvarez played three games for the unofficial Galicia team, scoring a penalty in a 1–1 draw with Cameroon at the Balaídos Stadium on 27 December 2007.

Álvarez's older brother, Javier (born 1980), was also a footballer and a midfielder. He spent his entire career in Spanish amateur football; in addition, he represented Spain in three FIFA Beach Soccer World Cups (2006, 2007 and 2008).

Numancia

Segunda División: 2007–08