Julián Álvarez Booed by Atlético Fans, Walks Off Alone Against Villarreal
Whistled loudly during the team announcements and again when he came on against Villarreal, Julián Álvarez, at the centre of a summer saga over a move to FC Barcelona, walked alone to the dressing room without greeting the fans, still under boos.
Atletico Madrid
Villarreal CF- 90'Yellow card: J. Foyth (Villarreal CF)
- 90'Yellow card: J. Gimenez (Atletico Madrid)
- 90'Final score: Atletico Madrid 2 - 2 Villarreal CF
- 85'⚽ Goal for Atletico Madrid (G. Simeone)
- 85'Substitution: ↑ T. Oluwaseyi / ↓ S. Comesana (Villarreal CF)
- 79'Substitution: ↑ I. Akhomach / ↓ G. Mikautadze (Villarreal CF)
- 79'Substitution: ↑ C. Macia / ↓ N. Pepe (Villarreal CF)
- 79'Substitution: ↑ J. Gimenez / ↓ A. Lookman (Atletico Madrid)
- 78'⚽ Penalty goal for Villarreal CF (G. Mikautadze)
- 76'Yellow card: M. Hjulmand (Atletico Madrid)
- 76'Red card: R. Le Normand (Atletico Madrid)
- 76'Yellow card: D. Simeone (Atletico Madrid)
- 66'Substitution: ↑ P. Barrios / ↓ Lee Kang-In (Atletico Madrid)
- 66'Substitution: ↑ J. Alvarez / ↓ M. Pubill (Atletico Madrid)
- 66'Substitution: ↑ M. Llorente / ↓ Koke (Atletico Madrid)
- 66'⚽ Penalty goal for Villarreal CF (G. Moreno)
- 61'Substitution: ↑ T. Buchanan / ↓ A. Perez (Villarreal CF)
- 61'Substitution: ↑ G. Moreno / ↓ A. Moleiro (Villarreal CF)
- 59'⚽ Goal for Atletico Madrid (M. Pubill)
- 54'Yellow card: A. Baena (Atletico Madrid)
- 50'Yellow card: S. Mourino (Villarreal CF)
- 46'Substitution: ↑ A. Baena / ↓ R. Mendoza (Atletico Madrid)
- 45'Half-time
- 0'Kick-off
Julián Álvarez endured a difficult return to the Atlético Madrid squad, in the La Liga match against Villarreal (2-2) at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano, amid an ongoing summer saga over a potential move to FC Barcelona.
Booed from the team announcement
The Metropolitano crowd didn't wait long to voice their frustration: Julián Álvarez's name was loudly booed as soon as it was read out in the starting line-up before kick-off. The whistling intensified further when he came on as a second-half substitute.
A lonely walk to the dressing room
At the final whistle, while his teammates stayed on the pitch to greet supporters, Julián Álvarez chose to leave alone, head down, straight for the dressing room, still under boos. A shirt was reportedly thrown in his direction as he left.
According to comments attributed to the club, Atlético's management had asked the Argentine forward to leave the pitch early "to avoid any incidents" with an angry crowd.
Tension behind the scenes
While Diego Simeone and his teammates have publicly backed the player, the mood behind the scenes is reportedly tenser: Julián Álvarez's clear discomfort and desire to leave are said to be starting to frustrate part of the dressing room.
Key takeaways
- Julián Álvarez is looking to leave Atlético Madrid for FC Barcelona this summer transfer window.
- He was booed during the team announcement and again when he came on against Villarreal.
- He left the pitch alone at the end of a match that finished 2-2.
