Beyond the evident bitter defeat of Atlético de Madrid at Santiago Bernabéu, one thing is clear: the red-and-white team has signed a true star. Julián Alvarez scored a stunning goal in the first half to equalize the match and tally 22 goals in his first campaign with the dynastic colchoneros. It is his best record since he landed in Europe a couple of years ago, and he still has several months to increase that number.
The world champion is also able to look a true legend like Leo Messi in the eye in a tough competition like the Champions League. Something the forward wanted to prove is that he can be the franchise player of a major European club, choosing to land at the Metropolitano. He is not only proving that, but he is also on track to become one of the best in the world if he continues at this pace.
Julián Alvarez Adapts to the Champions League
He may seem like a veteran forward, but the reality is that the world championhas only played two full editions of the best club competition. He won it just after landing at Manchester City and would fall short of repeating with another final last season, losing in the penalty shootout. This campaign, his goal at Atlético de Madrid was to show the world that he was ready to appear as the flagship of a great entity.
With his latest goal against Real Madrid, he has now scored 22 goals so far, marking his best goal-scoring figure since crossing the pond. Additionally, he has surpassed Leo Messi in a curious statistic, specifically in the numbers both players had after playing 26 matches in this tournament. The red-and-white player has 15, while the FC Barcelona legend had 13, although he would later become one of the all-time top scorers.
At the Metropolitano, They Are Thinking About the Return
It should not be forgotten that this coming Sunday, the colchonero team will visit Getafe with the challenging task of staying at the top and continuing to put pressure on Barça. However, many eyes are already on next Wednesday when Atlético de Madrid will have the opportunity to overturn the tie. A similar situation was experienced last year, although on that occasion, eliminating Inter Milan seemed much more complicated.
Simeone and his players were not in a good moment for that clash, falling in Italy against the then European runner-up. Even the Italians took the lead that day, but the Metropolitano pushed their players to achieve the comeback in the penalty shootout. Now, they want to recover that spirit and once again lead the team to experience an unforgettable night and advance to the next round.