Madrid's Mayor to Julián Álvarez: Score Goals, Not Apologies

An assist for Marcos Llorente, his first start of the season, and yet the spotlight is on him once again. That's how Julián Álvarez's season has gone at Atlético Madrid: every match feels like a chance to make peace with a fan base that still hasn't forgiven him for his attempted move to Barcelona in the last transfer window.

On Wednesday, in Atlético's Champions League group stage opener, Álvarez started from the beginning in the away trip to Anfield. He delivered exactly what was asked of him: the pass that allowed Llorente to put Atlético ahead on the scoreboard. It wasn't enough. Diego Simeone's side ended up losing 2-1 to Liverpool and left England empty-handed, though with a few bright spots to salvage, Álvarez's performance among them.

Amid that backdrop, Madrid soccer found itself part of a conversation from an unusual place: politics. José Luis Martínez-Almeida, the city's mayor and an admitted Atlético fan, addressed the Julián situation in an interview with COPE and didn't shy away from the collective anger the player has stirred up among supporters.

Am I upset with Julián? Yes. Does showing that anger do any good? No. That's what I think.José Luis Martínez-Almeida

Up to that point, Almeida could have sounded like any other wounded fan. But he quickly set himself apart from much of the Atlético fan base: in his view, demanding a public apology from the forward leads nowhere. What matters, he insisted, is what happens on the field.

This is going to stir up controversy among Atlético fans: I'm not asking Julián to say he's sorry, I'm asking him to score goals. I'm not very passionate about this, and believe me, I'm plenty passionate about Atleti, but I think what we all need to do is get Julián back on track, because otherwise, next year, among other things, he's going to be worth half as much.José Luis Martínez-Almeida

The Sting of "Fulfilling a Dream"

The mayor didn't deny the discomfort left behind by Álvarez's remark about wanting to "fulfill a dream" in his flirtation with Barcelona, a phrase that landed especially badly within Atlético circles. Even so, he once again lowered the temperature of the debate and put the focus on soccer rather than emotion.

"As much as that phrase hurt us, because it really hurt me, that 'I want to fulfill a dream' thing, demanding an apology gets us nowhere. What we need to do is ask him to score goals and judge him based on that," Almeida added in the same interview.

Then came the heaviest argument of all: this Champions League final will be played at the Estadio Metropolitano, Atlético's home ground. And if Simeone's squad dreams of being there in May, Álvarez's form looks like a piece that would be tough to do without.

"I think what's happened already leads nowhere, and what we can't afford is for Julián to have anything less than a good season. If we want to reach the final at the Metropolitano, we need Julián," the Madrid mayor concluded.

The player himself, meanwhile, is choosing to answer in the only way that tends to calm a hurting fan base: by assisting, by playing, and if possible, by scoring goals.