How Alvarez became Europe's most sought-after striker

Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Julian Alvarez has scored 49 goals since joining Atletico Madrid By Shamoon Hafez Football reporter Published 14 minutes ago Julian Alvarez heads to the World Cup aiming to fire Argentina to back-to-back triumphs amid the distraction of being the subject of one of the most sensational transfer bids ever made. The 26-year-old is at the centre of an intriguing three-way La Liga tug-of-war, with current club Atletico Madrid trying to keep hold of their prized asset while rivals Real and Barcelona attempt to snatch him away. Real president Florentino Perez made good on his election promise to make a 150m euro offer for an unnamed "galactico" player who, it transpired, after much speculation, was Alvarez. But that astonishing bid was laughed off by counterparts across the city. So why is Alvarez so coveted by the La Liga giants and is he worth the £130m Real have tabled? Real Madrid's £130m Alvarez bid rejected Published 18 hours ago Unhappy playing second fiddle at Man City Alvarez became a fan favourite during his two-year stay at Manchester City, where he won six major trophies and played a role in the Treble-winning team. But the striker wanted to leave Etihad Stadium as he was unhappy at playing a deputy role to Erling Haaland, instead wanting to be the main man elsewhere. Former City boss Pep Guardiola was always open in his view that wantaway players were free to leave, providing the asking price was met. In August 2024, Atletico agreed an £81.5m deal to sign Alvarez, providing City with a hefty profit on a player they signed for only £14.1m and one that became their most expensive sale. "There was never any kind of problem," Alvarez said , external in a podcast last year. "I simply told him [Guardiola] how I felt - that I wanted more minutes in some matches where I knew I wouldn't get them or simply wasn't getting them. "Of course he understood. Players always want more minutes, they want to grow, they want to play the big moments. And if I felt I wasn't going to have them there, he gave me the freedom to choose my path." Alvarez scored 36 goals in 106 appearances for City, but could he kick on? 'Julian is the best player we have' Atletico were always likely to lag behind Barcelona and Real in the La Liga title race. They finished third in 2025 and fourth last season. Alvarez has managed 49 goals and 17 assists in 106 games at the club and received high praise from France great Thierry Henry who said on The Overlap: , external "One of my favourite number nines out there is Julian Alvarez. "Putting pressure, playing alone, he can hold it up, he has played at the Olympic Games, Copa America and I didn't hear him saying he is tired. "The way he plays, I just like him." More importantly for the player, he has been given the opportunity by boss Diego Simeone to feature in the biggest games, something he so desperately wanted to do. This season, Alvarez scored in the Copa del Rey final against Real Socie