Diego Simeone, head coach of Atlético Madrid's first football team, spoke about the crisis faced by Argentine player Julián Álvarez during the match against Villarreal in the Spanish La Liga.
The Argentine star Julián Álvarez was on Atlético Madrid's bench in today's match against Villarreal after missing the first round game against Málaga due to lack of readiness.
The match ended in a 2-2 draw. The Argentine striker participated in the second half and received numerous boos from the crowd.
Atlético Madrid fans treated Julián Álvarez harshly as soon as his name was announced among the team's substitutes (click here for details).
These criticisms stem from the Argentine World Cup 2022 winner's desire to leave Los Rojiblancos and join Barcelona, who wish to sign him as the ideal successor to Polish striker Robert Lewandowski.
After the match concluded, all players went to greet Atlético Madrid fans alongside Simeone, but Álvarez was seen leaving the stadium alone, heading directly to the locker room.
Simeone said in post-match remarks reported by the Spanish newspaper "AS": "Did Julián leave alone? Some officials told me that the club decided to prevent him from approaching the stands and fans. It was the club's decision to keep him away from the supporters until he reached the locker room."
He added: "My feeling about the incident? I am not in a position to give advice. What I should do is focus on my work, which is giving my best on the field."
He continued: "If we want to win titles, we must be united and have strikers—world-class strikers. We must all work accordingly."
He further stated: "Álvarez's psychological state? I will not answer all questions about Julián. I understand his concerns, and we can discuss what happened during the match."
Regarding a message to the fans, he said: "I believe I was very clear. We must unite. When we did so previously, we managed to compete for important titles. We need strikers; we have one striker, and we must keep him."
He concluded: "We compete with the players available to us today. In the locker room, I told the players that we fully support them as long as they remain at the club."
