Julian Alvarez was given a hostile reception from his own Atletico Madrid supporters to further intensify doubt around his future at the club.
During the World Cup, the Argentine expressed his desire to leave the LaLiga outfit in order to ‘fulfil my dream’ – with Arsenal, Real Madrid and especially Barcelona among his suitors.
‘I try to be an honest person,’ he said while representing his nation at the World Cup. ‘I spoke with the people at Atletico Madrid, and I think the best thing for everyone is a transfer. I want to fulfil my dream.’
His dream hasn’t been fulfilled as of yet and on Sunday he saw the ramifications of his words as Atletico’s fanbase voiced their anger towards him during their 2-2 LaLiga home draw with Villarreal.
The encounter was simmering with tension before Alvarez came on as a second-half substitute as he was booed while warming up, jeered again when his name was announced among the substitutes and met with louder whistles when he came on in the 66th minute.
A section of the crowd also chanted: ‘Let him leave once and for all, let him leave.’
Julian Alvarez trudged off the pitch to a cacophony of boos from his own Atletico Madrid fans
The 26-year-old has angered Atletico’s fan base after publicly stating his desire to leave
The Arsenal, Real Madrid and Barcelona target was even booed while warming-up on Sunday
And as the full-time whistle came, the hostility grew even more as the 26-year-old headed straight to the changing room while his team-mates saluted the fans, drawing another heavy round of boos.
Discussing the situation in the post-match press conference, Atletico boss Diego Simeone revealed it was the club’s decision for Alvarez to not acknowledge the fans.
‘The club staff told me that the club decided Julian should not go over with his team-mates to greet the fans, and that it was not Julian’s decision.
‘The club made the decision to keep him away and have him head to the dressing room.
‘No, I’m not in a position to give advice to the fans. I think I need to focus on my work, which is to give my best on the sporting side for the good of Atletico Madrid.
‘The only thing I know is that if Atletico Madrid wants to win a title, we have to be united. We need forwards, and we need important forwards.
‘For that, of course, we all have to work in that direction to give the team what it needs.’
Although reports have suggested Barcelona are Alvarez’s preferred destination, Atletico have remained steadfast in their position that he is not for sale. Chief executive Miguel Angel Gil Marin said last month that the club would not entertain any offers for the striker, even in the region of £170million.
Diego Simeone (second right) said it was the club’s decision for Alvarez to head straight off
Alvarez has a £428m release clause and Atletico have already rejected a £129m bid from bitter rivals Real Madrid.
Simeone has his son Giuliano to thank for rescuing them a point after with his 85th-minute equaliser in an afternoon that saw his side reduced to 10 men after Robin Le Normand was sent off on 76 minutes.
Atletico, who sit third in LaLiga with four points from their opening two matches, travel to table-toppers Sevilla next on Saturday.
