Mayor of Madrid weighs in on Julián Álvarez saga: 'We need him back on track'

Julián Álvarez is living a nightmare. A striker worth £81.5 million, who scored 49 goals in 109 games for Atlético Madrid, has yet to find the net this season. Now, not only are the home fans whistling, not only is the coach scratching his head, but the Mayor of Madrid himself has weighed in. 'He needs to score. I don't demand an apology – I ask for goals,' José Luis Martínez-Almeida told Cadena Cope. A mayor commenting on a player's form is a sign that this story has spilled beyond pure sport. The saga began in the summer of 2026, when Atlético paid £81.5 million to bring Álvarez from Manchester City. A blockbuster deal. But just a year later, the former City star publicly declared his dream to leave – timed around the 2026 World Cup. Barcelona immediately made contact; Arsenal circled. Atlético refused to sell. And since then, everything has gone downhill. 'Numbers don't lie' – that's my mantra. For Álvarez this season, the number is zero. Zero goals. Zero form. The trip to Liverpool in the Champions League (a 2-1 away defeat) was his first full 90 minutes, and while he provided an assist for Marcos Llorente, it wasn't enough to soothe the fans. At home, they whistled him. But look at the big picture: 49 goals, 18 assists in 109 games – a rate of 0.45 goals per game. A solid figure, not world-class, but enough to confirm he's a valuable asset. At 26, he's at his peak. So why has everything fallen apart? The answer lies in the relationship. When a player openly says he wants out, everything changes. Fans feel betrayed. Management feels pressured. And when public opinion turns – especially with the Mayor involved – the pressure becomes suffocating. I look at this through an analyst's eyes, not a fan's. Atlético face a classic dilemma: keep or sell? Keep, and risk asset depreciation – exactly what the Mayor warned: 'If this continues, his value will be halved by next year.' Sell, and lose a top striker but recoup a fee before it's too late. And here's the interesting part: Barcelona and Arsenal are still watching. Interest from these two giants gives Atlético a 'price floor'. They won't be stuck with a worthless asset. But if the winter transfer window opens and Álvarez is still goalless, his value will be severely eroded. Tactically, I don't have enough data to conclude. The Liverpool match is the only full 90-minute sample. One assist is a positive signal but insufficient to confirm recovery. However, the fact that coach Diego Simeone still fields him suggests he's trying reintegration, not exclusion. The lesson from this story isn't just for Atlético. It's a reminder for every club: when a player wants out, holding on can do more harm than good. A fractured relationship is the hardest thing to heal in modern football. And when the Mayor has to speak up, the story has slipped out of anyone's control. Julián Álvarez, until he scores his first goal, will remain a shadow of himself. Atlético Madrid, until they make a decisive choice, will keep oscillating between hope and disappointment. And we, the football lovers, wait to see: will that goal come before the winter transfer window opens?