Julián Álvarez Doesn't Have Full Control
July 2, 2026 · Global
Julián Álvarez was talked about more at the World Cup for his words than his performances, giving rise to speculation about his future at Atlético de Madrid and interest from Barcelona.
Julián Álvarez, until now, has been in the news more at the World Cup for his statements than for his performance on the field. No goals yet, no memorable exploits with the Argentinian national team, but he stated that he wanted to fulfill his dream and that the best thing would be to make a transfer to leave Atlético de Madrid. Barcelona wanted a statement in this regard and the player did not disappoint. From here, all parties try to play their cards as well as possible. Atlético wants to get the highest price or keep its star. However, it would be difficult to do it against the will of the player (who would allow a top player not to play and face all the fans for an entire year?) and against the will of the coach, who does not want to have on his team someone who does not want to play for him. Interestingly, there is a relationship between Diego Simeone and Johan Cruyff. Maybe it's because of the principle that two different poles can touch each other. During Johan's eight years in the Camp Nou coaching chair, his famous principle was that players who don't want to be at Barcelona, please leave. And there are many examples. It started, in March 1990 with academy player Luis Milla: “If Milla doesn't want to be here, please leave.” But it's not always true that players who don't want to be where they are can just leave. Recently, Leo Messi sent a burofax to announce that he was leaving, some time after the 2-8 defeat against Bayern in Lisbon in August 2000, and that the Barcelona president had not released him from his existing contract. So, the best player in the world continues to play at Camp Nou, which is tightly closed due to Covid-19. Sometimes contracts are more important than wishes. And the coach's principles. Each case has its own uniqueness and characteristics. This saga still has many chapters to be written.