Álvarez breaks his long silence on the Barcelona dream: if I were in their shoes, I'd be angry!
What did he say?
Julian Alvarez had a message for the Atletico Madrid faithful after firing Los Rojiblancos to a 1-0 win over Deportivo La Coruna. The Argentine striker scored the only goal of the match from a superb Grimaldo pass and walked away with the man of the match award.
Leading the line, Alvarez drifted cleverly between the lines and stood out as Atletico's brightest performer in a game short on attacking quality. The goal was his second in a week.
Few players sparked as much controversy across the recent transfer windows. During the World Cup, Alvarez hinted he wanted to leave Atletico Madrid to chase his dream of a move to Barcelona.
His first league goal at the Wanda Metropolitano came with an apology attached. Alvarez wanted to make things right with the supporters over those earlier comments.
"I would like to apologise to our fans for my words," the Argentine striker said. "I was wrong in the way I spoke and the timing of my statements, and I understand their anger. If I were in their place, I would have felt angry too, especially given the support they have constantly shown me."
"The past few weeks have been full of support, and now I need to focus on developing and improving," he added. "They have stood by my side throughout this period, and the time has come for me to work hard, because we have some very important things ahead of us."
On his physical and technical condition, Alvarez explained: "I feel I am in a good place, and I am grateful to my teammates who supported me and stood by me a great deal. I am working on improving, and during the recent matches I felt progress at the physical level and in dealing with the ball."
The striker tied his state of mind directly to his displays. "When you feel content in your life, that is reflected in your performance on the pitch and in everything," he said. "We spend a lot of time at home, and everything that happens affects us, but I now feel I am in a good place and ready to compete for everything."
He signed off by hoping to earn back the trust of the stands. "We hope to win back their affection, through hard work and humility, and to thank them for everything they have given us during this period."
The winner arrived in the 48th minute. Alvarez met a well-placed Alejandro Grimaldo pass at the far post, handing Diego Simeone's side three big points in the chase for the top positions.
