Julián Álvarez’s formative weeks at Atlético de Madrid had been something of a slow burner.
The World Cup winner registered just two goals in his opening 10 appearances for Diego Simeone’s side.
But Álvarez accelerated things during Sunday’s LaLiga encounter at Real Sociedad by adding a third to his tally after just 51 seconds.
Drilling the ball home from a clever backheel by Antoine Griezmann, the ex-Manchester City man also etched his name into the record books.
His quickfire opener is now the fifth-fastest goal in the Spanish top flight this century and the first since Griezmann himself notched in 2018.
Sometimes it pays to score early.