'He made a mistake' - Atletico Madrid legend Diego Godin slams Julian Alvarez for trying to force Barcelona transfer

The Argentina forward caused massive controversy by publicly pushing for a switch to Barcelona during the 2026 World Cup. Atletico refused to hold any talks with their rivals, even rejecting a €150 million offer from Real Madrid as they held out for his €500 million release clause. Despite further interest from Arsenal and Manchester City, he stayed put and was booed by supporters following his cold, unhappy reaction.

Uruguayan defensive legend Godin shared his honest view on the forward's messy transfer saga during an appearance on Onda Cero's 'Radioestadio Noche'.

Addressing the public uproar, the 40-year-old said: "Julian Alvarez is a fantastic player. He must be a great guy, but I think he made a mistake… The fans' anger is completely understandable. We all get that someone might want to leave, but it's about how you leave, the way you go about it. I think we all agree that he messed up. Now he'll have to face the music, and if he wants to repair the relationship, he needs to make good gestures toward the fans."

Winning back the trust of the Metropolitano faithful will not be easy after such widespread anger over his commitment to the team.

Reflecting on how his former team-mate Antoine Griezmann repaired his own relationship with fans after returning from Barcelona, the eight-time major trophy winner added: "I don't know if Julian Alvarez will be able to repair the relationship. It cost Antoine an enormous amount of effort, and with Julian, we'll see... Time will tell, but what's certain is that people will expect him, at the very least, to give everything on the pitch whenever he gets his chance."

Diego Simeone's side sit fourth in La Liga with 13 points from six games ahead of Sunday's crucial clash against neighbours Real. Alvarez remains a major injury doubt for the derbyafter missing the previous match against Real Sociedad with muscle overload.

The forward skipped his day off to train through high-intensity runs, racing against time to feature before the international break.