Written by Megan Taylor, sports reporter covering international sports since 2020
River Plate school World Cup memories came flooding back for maths teacher Luciana Alvarengue when Argentina won the 2022 final with two of her former students, Enzo Fernández and Julián Álvarez, in the squad.
Alvarengue taught both players at the school run by Club Atlético River Plate, where young athletes balanced lessons with the demands of trying to become professional footballers.
The story adds another personal layer to World Cup football after Cabo Verde Spain World Cup Draw: Roberto Lopes and Vozinha Lead Historic Night, showing how family, schools and clubs all shape players before the biggest stage. Fans can follow official tournament updates through the FIFA website.
Teacher Recalls Two Future Champions
“They are still my students, even if they are no longer in the classroom,” Alvarengue says.
She joined the River Plate school in 2012, when lessons were still held at Estadio Monumental before moving to a purpose-built site near the stadium.
Álvarez, from Calchín in Córdoba province, was 12 when she began teaching him.
Fernández was 11, and Alvarengue remembers the pair as very different students.
“Julián was very good at maths. He had a very good way of working in the classroom in general. Enzo was a little more difficult to deal with,” she says.
Football Always Close to Class
Alvarengue says Fernández was constantly thinking about matches, selection and the next challenge.
“In Enzo’s case, he was always thinking about football, what he wanted to do, who they were playing,” she says.
She says Álvarez was calmer in class, while Fernández brought more energy, but both showed early maturity.
“But the two were always very positive leaders in the classroom. It was very nice to talk to them because it seemed that you were talking to adults, not children.”
Fernández later completed his studies remotely while playing for River Plate’s first team.
For Alvarengue, watching Argentina beat France in Lusail carried deep meaning.
“I can always think that they passed through our classrooms. I hope they took something away.”
