Atlético Madrid Aims to End Five-Year LaLiga Drought as Barcelona and Real Madrid Reload

Five years. That's how long Atlético Madrid has gone without lifting the LaLiga trophy, since that title back in the 2020/21 season. Since then, Barcelona and Real Madrid have split control of Spanish soccer while Diego Simeone's side searched, unsuccessfully, for a way into that fight. Now, on the doorstep of the 2026/27 season, one name could define the entire direction of the Atlético project: Julián Álvarez.

The Argentine forward's situation remains unresolved. His future is one of the biggest question marks of this transfer window, and it's no small matter: if he ends up leaving, Atlético would lose its offensive focal point right when it most needs certainty up front.

The blow would sting even more given the recent context. Antoine Griezmann, the club's all-time leading scorer, is gone. Alexander Sørloth will start the season injured. And on top of that, Nahuel Molina and Clément Lenglet have also departed. Too many pieces moving at once.

A squad in transition

To fill those gaps, Atlético moved aggressively in the market. Morten Hjulmand and Kang-in Lee have already arrived, and everything points to Cristian "Cuti" Romero joining as well, for a fee near $40 million. That's no coincidence: defense was one of the weakest links last season, and the Argentine center back is coming in specifically to lead that rebuild.

The real question is how all of this will come together on the field. Simeone needs the team to regain its solidity, and above all, he needs to find offensive answers if Julián Álvarez ends up leaving the Metropolitano.

Barcelona, once again the team to beat

One thing became clear last season: Atlético can go toe to toe with Barcelona. It eliminated them in both the Champions League and the Copa del Rey, two statement wins that, even so, weren't enough to keep them in the title race. Barça, under Hansi Flick, ended up claiming its second straight LaLiga crown.

The Catalan side remains a machine. Lamine Yamal, Pedri, Dani Olmo and Pau Cubarsí form a core that's tough to match, and now the additions of Gordon and Karim Adeyemi have been added on top. Barcelona is still looking for more reinforcements before the window closes, with Rodri on its radar. And here's the thing: if Julián Álvarez were to end up wearing the blue and red jersey, the balance of power in LaLiga would shift even further.

Mourinho returns, and with him, the pressure on Real Madrid

The other giant to overcome is Real Madrid, which also arrives with major changes. José Mourinho returned to the Real Madrid bench after two trophyless seasons, and that can only mean one thing: high expectations at the Bernabéu. The club strengthened its squad with Diomandé, Cucurella, Dumfries, Bernardo Silva and Ibrahima Konaté, on top of its attacking duo of Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Jr.

Mourinho himself left no doubt about what he expects from this new cycle.

Now is the time to take a step forward and win titles.José Mourinho

For Atlético, there's also unfinished business that goes beyond the standings: the recent derbies against Real Madrid left a bitter taste, and Simeone needs to turn that head to head history around.

Is what's already there enough?

Simeone's continuity remains one of Atlético's biggest strengths. Few coaches understand as well as he does what it takes to compete against these two rivals. But this year the challenge is different: rebuilding the attack without Griezmann, finally resolving the Julián Álvarez situation, quickly integrating the new signings and restoring solidity to a defense that badly needs it. And with little time to get it done.

The schedule already marks the key dates: Atlético will host Real Madrid on September 20, travel to face Barcelona on February 7 and return to the Santiago Bernabéu on April 4. Matches that could tip the title race, sure, but they'll also serve as a measuring stick for just how far this renewed Atlético can go.

On paper, Barcelona and Real Madrid remain the favorites, and Atlético looks a step below, even more so with Griezmann gone and the Julián Álvarez question hanging over the squad. But writing them off would be premature. If the Argentine stays, if Cuti Romero brings order to the defense and if Hjulmand and Kang-in Lee adapt quickly, Simeone has enough material to keep the pressure on for much of the year.

The question isn't whether Atlético has the talent to compete, because it does. The question is whether Simeone can turn this squad, with all its question marks and departures, into a team capable of winning somewhere between 25 and 28 matches and holding that pace across all 38 matchdays. Because to dethrone Barcelona and Real Madrid, beating them in the big games won't be enough. Atlético will have to go back to being Atlético.