Julián Álvarez made his way into a long, shadowy tunnel by himself. “We are better when we stand together,” Giuliano Simeone said, yet that was not what happened. After Atlético Madrid opened their home campaign with a 2-2 draw against Villarreal, the players assembled near the centre circle, exchanged handshakes with their opponents and one another, and walked towards the southern stand of the Metropolitano. Nearly every player followed. One remained apart. A suited official quietly spoke to him before the press officer arrived and directed him elsewhere. While his teammates approached the supporters who had jeered him, Atlético’s No 19 headed west towards the exit.
Álvarez crossed the field alone. With his eyes lowered and without saying a word, as had been the case throughout the afternoon, he moved slowly across the grass with only his thoughts and the whistles behind him for company. Nobody offered a handshake or even a brief gesture of recognition. He walked past the Atlético crest beside the touchline and approached the tunnel entrance. Fans leaning over both sides of the opening shouted and whistled at him. Far to his left, the rest of the squad appeared to wait until he was out of view before going towards the stand, but no one turned around. A scarf landed near his feet and remained there. Moments later, he vanished into the darkness, an image that reflected his increasingly bleak position.
There was nobody to receive him inside. Álvarez climbed the steps, passed two security staff members and turned towards an empty dressing room without looking up or being invited elsewhere. His teammates arrived together four minutes later. For a short time, at least, the surroundings were quiet. The earlier hostility had been intense, and few could remember Atlético supporters reacting so fiercely against one of their own players. The same fans who had once backed him jeered when his name was announced, when he warmed up and when he entered the field in red and white for the first time since April and since publicly describing a departure as his “dream”. They also whistled as he left, perhaps for the last time.
For the last time? “Unfortunately, this is an uncomfortable situation for everybody,” Jan Oblak said. After the public disagreements, wounded pride and mutual blame, there is no obvious solution. The essential facts are straightforward: Álvarez wants to join Barcelona, and Barcelona want to recruit him. However, his contract runs until June 2030, includes a €500m release clause and Atlético refuse to sell him, particularly to that club. As a result, everyone remains trapped.
Álvarez first suggested that his future might lie elsewhere after Atlético faced Tottenham in the Champions League last March. The moment appeared unusual. Although the campaign had been difficult and concerns about his situation had been growing, he had just scored twice in a 5-2 victory. It seemed even more surprising when, shortly after Argentina defeated Austria at the World Cup, he publicly announced his desire to leave. “This is not the right moment to discuss it, but I cannot pretend otherwise,” he said. “I have spoken to the relevant people at Atlético, and a transfer would be best for everyone. I want to achieve my dream.”
Real Madrid had made something described as an offer, although it was never considered a serious proposal. Álvarez’s preferred destination was Barcelona, whose representatives had already been speaking with him and considering how a deal might be completed. That contact strengthened Atlético’s determination to prevent the transfer. The club chose to draw a firm line and turn the dispute into a matter of principle. Their concern was not simply that he wished to leave, but also the manner in which the situation had developed.
Speaking from New York, Joan Laporta said Barcelona had submitted a “significant” proposal. “If Atlético are willing to accept it, that would be excellent,” he said. Atlético were not interested, however, and did not consider the terms particularly impressive. Chief executive Miguel Ángel Gil Marín maintained that Álvarez would not be sold at any price, adding that this position had already been communicated to the player, his representative and Barcelona. “I know Joan. He is always performing for the press, the supporters and his own public spectacle,” Gil Marín said. “I asked him to stop. We neither want nor intend to sell, so there is no reason to continue. He enjoys playing that role, but he knows perfectly well that Julián will not represent Barcelona next season.”
Barcelona argued that their pursuit had been conducted properly and with “respect”, but Atlético lodged a complaint with the RFEF, the Spanish Football Federation, and refused to alter their position. The matter had become symbolic, with the club determined to defend its authority and establish a precedent. Yet the surrounding attention did not disappear. When Álvarez returned for pre-season while still hoping to leave, he appeared increasingly detached from the group. Although every quiet moment and troubled expression was subjected to excessive interpretation, his emotional absence was difficult to ignore. Jorge Valdano later borrowed a line from Julio Cortázar to describe the mood: “Once someone says they are leaving, they have already left.”
That can be true even when the person remains. While Atlético discreetly examined possible alternatives, Gil Marín issued another statement confirming that Álvarez would stay. “We cannot permit other teams or the press to determine our decisions or treat us without respect,” he said. “We have principles.” He also criticised the player’s agent and claimed Álvarez had received poor guidance. Fernando Hidalgo offered a different account, alleging that Atlético had promised to approve a transfer if Álvarez publicly accepted responsibility and declared his wish to depart. Hidalgo responded online: “Do not ask someone dishonest to explain a lie, because the explanation will only require another one.”
The head coach, meanwhile, watched the club’s senior officials take control of the dispute and prepared to reintegrate Álvarez into the squad. “The club could hardly have made its position more obvious. It is like a judge saying: ‘Request rejected,’” Diego Simeone said. Yet the problem could not be dismissed so easily. Atlético said they would “protect” the forward, while their criticism of Barcelona and Hidalgo diverted some responsibility away from him. Even so, his return demonstrated that repairing the relationship could prove much more difficult than expected and that earning forgiveness from the supporters might be beyond reach.
Sunday offered little evidence that reconciliation was beginning. Instead, the atmosphere appeared impossible to sustain, with the dispute overshadowing everything else and increasing the pressure for a definitive outcome. The match itself was entertaining, but almost all attention remained fixed on one player, cast by the crowd as the villain and loudly condemned. That hostility affected the entire occasion and left the possibility that nobody would emerge satisfied. After the final whistle, the press officer asked reporters whether they had any further questions, then clarified that he meant questions about the match. The raised hands immediately disappeared. Before kick-off, photographers had crowded around the bench as Álvarez sat to the left of Juan Musso and José María Gimenez. He stared at the ground, moving only to tighten his jaw, while approximately 60,000 people whistled at the announcement of his name. That was merely the start.
When Álvarez began warming up in the 51st minute, the whistles returned. Supporters behind the southern goal directed abusive chants at Barcelona and Catalonia. They also sang, “We are Atlético,” followed by, “Atlético yes, mercenaries no.” Another chant demanded that the club let him leave immediately, an instruction with which Álvarez might privately have agreed. After Atlético scored their first goal and the players approached the touchline, the fitness coach indicated that Álvarez was about to enter. “Be careful,” Marc Pubill replied. The sound that greeted the substitution was overwhelming and continued without pause. Álvarez had few touches, but each one produced another surge of anger. The rejection persisted until the match ended, and even then the crowd’s final response was directed at him. With eight days remaining in the transfer window, a departure could still have ended the conflict. The greater concern was what might happen if he stayed.
“Julián remains part of our squad, and while he is here we will support him,” Oblak said. “What I know is that Atlético must stay united to compete for trophies. We need forwards, especially important ones,” Simeone added. He acknowledged apologising to Ademola Lookman for asking him to operate in that position while Álvarez was unavailable and Alex Sørloth was injured. The coach repeated that Atlético do have forwards, but stressed that those players must be “looked after”. He also confirmed that the club, rather than Álvarez, had decided the player should not join his teammates in greeting the supporters.
That decision may have been intended to shield Álvarez, and Simeone’s explanation made clear that the player had not personally chosen to turn away from the crowd. Nevertheless, it also made his isolation more visible. Leaving before everyone else, with no teammate accompanying him, illustrated how separated he had become from the group and how severely the relationship had deteriorated. “Unity makes us stronger. It has always defined us and made Atlético Madrid distinctive. He is one of our players, so we will give everything for him on the field,” Giuliano Simeone said. Yet when the moment arrived, Álvarez still walked away alone.
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