Julian Alvarez’s Barcelona setback leaves Atletico Madrid reconciliation in doubt

Julian Alvarez’s attempt to rebuild his relationship with Atletico Madrid supporters suffered a major setback after he missed two clear chances against Barcelona and was met with renewed jeers at the Metropolitano.

The Argentina forward had appeared close to winning back the trust of a fanbase that had turned against him after a turbulent summer, when he publicly expressed his desire to leave for Barcelona. His goals and improved performances in recent weeks had suggested that the damage was beginning to heal.

But the visit of Barcelona offered Alvarez the perfect opportunity to close that chapter, and instead it exposed how fragile his progress had been.

His first opportunity arrived in the sixth minute, when he ran through with the whole pitch in front of him and only Joan Garcia between him and the goal. It was a chance to make amends for his previous mistakes, but Alvarez hesitated for too long before attempting to round the goalkeeper.

By then, Garcia had narrowed the angle and managed to take the ball from him. The Barcelona goalkeeper also deserved credit for an excellent intervention.

Alvarez responded positively at first. Just four minutes later, he produced a superb assist for fellow Argentina international Giuliano Simeone, who put Atletico 1-0 ahead. The pass showed that he remained involved in the contest despite his earlier error.

A second opportunity to redeem himself arrived later in the match. With Garcia slightly off his line and defenders closing in, Alvarez attempted to lift the ball over the goalkeeper. The idea was inventive, but the execution lacked precision and the shot sailed over the crossbar.

The chance was difficult to execute, but it was still Alvarez’s second major miss of the night. The reaction from the stands was immediate, with whistles echoing around the Metropolitano as the supporters’ patience began to run out.

The two incidents highlighted a loss of confidence in Alvarez’s game: hesitation, a lack of accuracy and, most notably, an absence of the courage that has previously been one of his defining qualities.

Simeone continues to back Alvarez

Diego Simeone retained complete faith in the striker and chose not to replace him. After Alexander Sørloth came on, Alvarez moved to the left, although by then there was little he could do to change the outcome. Barcelona were the stronger side, leaving Atletico to end the week with two painful defeats.

Simeone continued to encourage Alvarez from the touchline, applauding his efforts and publicly reaffirming his support in his post-match news conference.

“We love him very much and we need him. We need the best version of Julian Alvarez, and we will work with him,” Simeone said.

Alvarez’s previous public apology also appeared to have been forgotten. After ending his scoring drought against Stuttgart, he scored the decisive goal against Deportivo La Coruna at the Metropolitano and was greeted by loud applause from Atletico’s red-and-white supporters.

He had said then: “I wanted to apologise to our supporters for my words during the World Cup. They were a mistake, both in the way I expressed them and in the timing. Most importantly, I understand the supporters’ anger. If I were a fan, I would be angry too, especially considering how they supported me. They have been extremely generous with me, and I appreciate that greatly. I also want to thank the team because my team-mates supported me throughout this period.”

The wounds had seemed to be healing, but the match against Barcelona on 22 November 2026 showed that Alvarez’s path back to full acceptance remains uncertain.