Julián Álvarez ruled out of Atlético's trip to Real Sociedad with muscle strain

The squad list is usually a formality, but this time it brought a surprise. When Atlético de Madrid released the names for the trip to face Real Sociedad in Matchday 5 of LaLiga, one name that's been on everyone's lips lately was missing: Julián Álvarez.

The club moved quickly to explain the absence before rumors could spread: the Argentine suffered a muscle strain during Saturday's training session, and team doctors decided not to risk him in San Sebastián. No disciplinary issue, no tactical decision, just a physical problem that keeps him out of the trip.

The clarification comes at a good time, because Julián's name hasn't exactly been riding high in Madrid lately. The forward asked to leave for Barcelona in the last transfer window, the club refused to let him go to a direct rival, and that created an uncomfortable atmosphere that still hasn't fully cleared. The rift showed up in the stands: when he returned to the field at the Metropolitano, a good portion of the fans responded with whistles. Tough for a player who was a World Cup champion with Argentina just over a year ago.

Simeone, in any case, hasn't cast him aside. He started him on the road against Liverpool in the Champions League, a match that finished 2-1 for the English side. There, at least, Julián contributed something positive: he set up Llorente's goal, though it wasn't enough to get anything out of Anfield.

A season start that hasn't clicked

The numbers aren't cooperating. This 2026-27 season, Julián has played just three matches and has yet to score a goal. But there's a stat that carries more weight: Atlético haven't won any of the matches in which he's featured. His best contribution so far remains that assist at Liverpool.

With all of this piling up (the tension from the frustrated transfer, the fans' anger and now the muscle injury), the atmosphere around Julián has grown heavier than anyone could have imagined a few months ago. Simeone needs urgent results in the league and will have to find them in San Sebastián without his star forward, hoping the strain is just a passing issue and not the start of something bigger.

The question that remains is simple: how long will it take Julián to recover both his physical health and his connection with a fan base that still hasn't forgiven him? For now, only time will tell.