Perhaps the biggest challenge for Alvarez now is rebuilding his relationship with the Atleti supporters.
Sections of the fanbase have made their feelings very clear, with Alvarez whistled and jeered during the opening weeks of the season.
“It’s completely understandable that Atleti didn’t want to agree to Barca’s terms, just because he wanted to go there,” Atleti supporter Dani said. “It doesn’t just work like that.”
“Atleti wants to compete with the best in La Liga and they can’t just sell our best player directly to our rival for very little.”
From the supporters’ perspective, that frustration is understandable. If your star striker appears to want to leave, particularly if the destination could be one of your biggest rivals, winning back that backing is never going to happen overnight.
“His words and attitude were completely unexpected,” another supporter, Ignacio, said.
“He has probably been badly advised by his agent and those around him.
“Even if he apologises it is clear he has a desire to leave and, now that the window has closed, it will feel like a forced apology.”
The club paid a record £81.5m to sign him from Manchester City in 2024, giving him a six-year contract and making him one of the biggest investments of Simeone’s tenure.
He has repaid some of that investment with 49 goals and 17 assists in 107 appearances and, for much of his time in Madrid, has enjoyed the support of the fans. The challenge now is to rebuild that connection.
“If he starts scoring goals, people will start feeling anxious,” Dani said.
“But then there’s the fans who never forget. People still haven’t forgiven [Antoine] Griezmann for what he did, and he apologised on the pitch in front of 60,000 people at the end of last season”.
Antoine Griezmann’s departure for Barcelona in 2019 left a sour taste among the Atletico fanbase, but, when he returned two years later, he gradually rebuilt that relationship through his performances and commitment.
By the time he left in 2026, he had won back the majority of the supporters and established himself as one of the club’s most important figures.
His departure, however, leaves Atletico without an experienced leader in attack.
Simeone will look to Alvarez to take on more responsibility – not only by scoring goals – but by leading the press, creating space and bringing others into the game.
He will have little time to find his rhythm before the Champions League begins.
Atletico face a demanding run of fixtures, including away games against Athletic Club, Liverpool and Real Sociedad, before returning home to face Osasuna and then Real Madrid in La Liga.
If Alvarez can reproduce the form that made him such an important figure at Atletico, the events of the summer may gradually fade into the background.
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