The dream has curdled into a nightmare in the Spanish capital. At the Wanda Metropolitano, they no longer chant Julian Alvarez's name. They spit it out with jeers, a scene that captures the total rupture between the Argentine star and Atletico Madrid.
The crisis traces back to late June, when "the Spider" made a shocking statement to the media. He openly declared his desire to leave this summer and fulfil his dream: "A move is the best thing for everyone. I want to achieve my dream." He never named a destination, but the message was clear to all. Barcelona is the dream.
Barcelona have since piled heavy pressure on Atletico's management to land their star. President Enrique Cerezo answered decisively, staying silent and reaching for his only weapon: the release clause. The management's message left no room for doubt: "The player is not for sale".
Alvarez now finds himself a prisoner at the Rojiblancos. The club has no intention of budging, and according to sources close to them, they would even rather sell him to any other club such as Arsenal than let him fulfil his dream in a Barcelona shirt.
Here lies the irony. Atletico had earlier rejected a huge 150 million euro offer from eternal rivals Real Madrid after Florentino Perez won the elections, a decision the management may well regret today as the relationship with the player rots.
The point of no return at the Metropolitano
Everything exploded on Alvarez's return to the stadium. The fans greeted him with sharp jeers and demanded he leave for Barcelona, a scene picked apart by the "Carrusel Deportivo" programme on "Cadena SER" radio.
Journalist Jesus Gallego was sarcastic in his analysis, arguing the ideal solution for the player is to leave in this window before it is too late. Analyst Marcos Lopez agreed: "The problem is that their star wants to leave Atletico and the club refuses. What happened at the Metropolitano is very serious, the fans made it abundantly clear that they do not want to see him there".
Dark scenarios after 1 September
Should nothing change before the market closes on 1 September, Atletico will hit a dead end with two options, both bitter. They can force the player to accept reality and stay, perhaps parking him on the bench for a whole season "until he comes to his senses" and retracts his statements. Or they can give him the chance to prove himself, score goals and try to win back the fans' trust.
Some analysts reckon this behaviour from the management wounds the club before it wounds the player. It would plant doubt in the mind of any star weighing a move in the future, wary that the Alvarez scenario might repeat itself.
Others, such as Miguel Martin Talavera, see no such effect. They point to the deal for Cuti Romero, who signed for Atletico very happily despite everything unfolding around him.
Between the jeers, the Barcelona dream and Cerezo's refusal, the final solution hangs in the air. It may yet arrive in the form of a long-awaited phone call. In the end, as everyone whispers in the offices of Madrid, Florentino will have to make the call again.