Barcelona or Real Madrid: Argentina's Julian Alvarez will choose THIS rival if he gets fed up of Simeone's Atletico Madrid

If Atletico Madrid striker Julian Alvarez is to make a switch, his priority will be FC Barcelona, the Argentina star's childhood coach said. The former Manchester City striker has always loved Barcelona and if he were to leave, he would prefer the Catalan side, Hugo Rafael Varas, Alvarez's first coach, said.

Julian Alvarez's life at the Madrid capital has been a rollercoaster ride and his childhood coach feels Diego Simeone's system is part of the problem. His words come at a time after the World Cup-winning striker is rumoured to look for solutions away from the Spanish capital.

Simeone plays defensive football where even strikers are not spared from duties to avoid conceding goals. For Alvarez, it is important that he remains the number 9 choice in the national setup and can't let his goal-scoring form slip. Simeone's strategies end up using him as a set-piece taker than a proper number 9. He ends up passing a lot and shooting less, Rafael Varas said.

"I don't see him comfortable with Simeone. He's played a lot of games, he's not the striker he always was, because he's never played in the position he should be playing. I don't see him comfortable at Atletico. I think he's played a lot of games on the wing, he's never played in the position he should be playing. Today, Atletico is a team that defends a lot and attacks little. I see him more as a passer than a finisher. He's scoring goals from free kicks or outside the box. The team isn't getting much forward for Julian to be the No. 9," AS quoted him as saying.

"We've seen games where Julian was defending in the opponent's goal. He gets along well with Simeone, but his way of playing is defending. I don't know if Simeone's time at Atletico is over. Sometimes winning isn't about bringing out the number 9, because the number 9 has the defenders, but he's never played in the position he should be playing," the report added him as saying.

Alvarez joined Atletico Madrid on 12 August 2024 on a six-year contract. Across competitions he managed 30 goals and 9 assists from 62 appearances. Hugo Rafael Varas said he is a Real Madrid fan and would love to see his student don the famous white jersey someday. However, if it is up to him, there is no doubt that he will choose Barcelona instead. The La Liga champions were in no position to bid for the Argentine when he decided to leave City and given the chance, the striker would pounce, "...the truth is that he’s not at Barcelona because they didn’t put up the money they had to," Varas was quoted as saying.