Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone has hailed Julian Alvarez’s humility after the Argentine striker publicly apologized to the club’s supporters following his match-winning performance against Deportivo La Coruña.
Alvarez scored the sole goal in Atletico’s 1-0 victory, taking the opportunity post-match to address comments he made during the World Cup about wanting to join FC Barcelona, a proposed move that ultimately fell through when Atletico blocked the transfer.
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“I wanted to apologise to our fans for my words during the World Cup. It was a mistake on my part, both in the way I said it and the timing,” Alvarez admitted. “I understand why the fans are angry. If I were a fan, I would have been angry too.”
Speaking to the press after the match, Simeone defended his star forward and praised his courage in addressing the supporters directly.
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“I value very much the moment of asking for forgiveness because it is not easy,” Simeone said, as quoted by Marca. “Julian is a humble, hard-working boy who loves his teammates, and I appreciate his apology… Life develops and I appreciate this. It is welcome.”
The manager emphasized Alvarez’s importance to the squad following his decisive goal: “He had a fantastic game, the fans celebrated his goal like they do a team goal, and Julián played brilliantly. We need Julián in this form.”
