Former Barcelona striker: I'm glad the Alvarez deal fell through, and this player deserves the Ballon d'Or
What is the secret behind his turn against the Argentine striker?
Julio Salinas, the former Barcelona striker, expressed his delight that Julian Alvarez never joined Barcelona, insisting the Catalan club made a mistake in chasing the Argentine.
Speaking on the "Ortega" programme about the latest goings-on at the Camp Nou, Salinas said: "I am happy that he will not come now, and I hope he will not come in January either. For me, it would be a mistake."
He acknowledged Alvarez's obvious talent, but reckoned Barcelona were ready to spend far too much. "He is a very good footballer, and no one can question his quality, but this amount of money seems excessive to me," he said.
Barcelona need to sharpen up in the transfer market, Salinas believes. "They must learn a little how to buy better and sell better," he explained.
The former Spain international put a figure on his objection. "The offer that I believe Barcelona made, amounting to 130 million, seems to me a very large amount, very large," he said.
Put himself in the chair of Atletico Madrid's sporting director, and Salinas would have done things very differently. "Given Barcelona's need, I would have tried to sign Ferran Torres, and get Ferran Torres and 80 million euros. I would have considered that a great deal," he said.
His verdict cuts across Barcelona's pursuit of Alvarez, a deal that never got over the line. The forward remains at Atletico Madrid.
Raphinha also earned Salinas's praise, and not just for his goals. The former striker sees the Brazilian as a decisive figure, a player whose pressing sets the tone for the whole side.
"As long as Raphinha is in good form, his role at Barcelona seems decisive to me," Salinas said.
Why does the Brazilian matter so much? "Raphinha, through the pressing he carries out in every match, even when the score is 5-0, ultimately forces Lamine Yamal to do the same thing," he explained.
That influence showed early this season. Handed greater responsibility, Raphinha scored twice to lead Barcelona to a big win over Feyenoord in the Champions League.
Salinas then threw everyone a curveball, backing Fabian Ruiz for the Ballon d'Or. His reasoning was simple. "Fabian won everything and was an indispensable player," he said.
The former Barcelona man pointed to the trophies, above all the midfielder's importance for Spain. "He won all the titles with Paris Saint-Germain, won the World Cup, won the Champions League, and on top of that he was a decisive player in the World Cup," he said.
He credited Luis de la Fuente for unlocking the Spaniard, too. "The tactical change that Luis de la Fuente made caused Fabian, imagine, to outshine Pedri," Salinas said.
That shout drops Ruiz straight into the Ballon d'Or conversation, a debate that this year has also turned on Raphinha's surprising absence from the shortlist.
