Chilean defender forgoes release clause, to receive $400,000 a year
From the get-go, during Beitar Jerusalem's pre-league preparations in the summer, it looked like the shidukh between Chilean defender Cristian Alvarez and Beitar Jerusalem would work. Alvarez's aggressive style and predisposition to join offenses befitted the style Beitar's coach Itzhak Shum tried to instill in his players. In his first match, an away game, he almost scored against F.C. Copenhagen. In the second leg, he set up the goal scored by Barak Itzhaki - Beitar's only goal in Europe this season.
Alvarez scored in each of Beitar's first two matches this season, against Bnei Yehuda and Hapoel Tel Aviv. Since then he has stayed back, but displayed his impressive defensive abilities. Beitar was not oblivious to his talent and signaled it was interested in signing him up to remain. Besides his professionalism, club officials were impressed by his hard-working and quiet personality, marking him as a sure signing for the end of the season. Indeed, on Sunday they sealed the deal, agreeing to stick with Alvarez for another two years, with an option for a third, together with a considerable raise, bringing his salary up to and annual $400,000. For his part, Alvarez agreed to forgo a clause that would have allowed him to transfer abroad easily.
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"It's all settled, but I haven't signed yet," Alvarez said. He tersely added: "I am at the moment concentrated on the match between Chile and Israel on Wednesday. Only then will I make time to sign the new contract. Until that time, I'd rather not talk about it."
TV timidity
Impressed by his skills, Beitar was nonetheless worried by his tendency for overly aggressive play. The Chilean has often been caught on camera laying into other players. Most notably, during the second encounter with Hapoel Tel Aviv, he was recorded punching midfielder Baruch Dago, though the offense went unnoticed by the referee. "We Chileans play hard," Alvarez said after the incident. "But we don't intend to hurt people. When we tackle for the ball, sometimes people are hurt."
"Alvarez has for months been suffering from pain in his right leg caused by too much stress," a Beiter player said, when asked to describe the player. "And during that intense period, with two matches a week because of the State Cup, he is the only player who did not get a rest. Management said it needed him, unlike many other star players on the team, and not once did he complain. He completed practice and matches and was fully motivated."
Alvarez was subbed just once this season, when he fell and pulled a muscle. Last Saturday, he was allowed to rest on the bench. "My right leg hurts a bit but not so much that I won't play against Israel."
Only once has Alvarez misbehaved. The Chilean had an outburst before the match against Maccabi Haifa, when he didn't get the number of free tickets he had requested. Other than that, he is affable, bashful and uninterested in media exposure. "I don't like seeing myself on TV or in the paper," he has said. "It's not that I have bad experiences with them, I'm just shy."
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