Julian Alvarez has revealed that his decision to leave Manchester City was driven by his limited role during the 2022/23 Champions League-winning campaign.
City triumphed over Inter in the final that year, but Alvarez was not included in the matchday squad. He was also unused in the first leg of the semi-final against Real Madrid, with just one minute of action in the second leg, during which he still managed to score.
After another year largely serving as a backup to Erling Haaland, Alvarez sought a fresh challenge and completed an £81m move to Atletico Madrid in August 2024.
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“City, since I arrived, always trusted me,” Alvarez told Infobae. “They brought me from River Plate to Europe. I played many games, scored goals, and won titles. It was perfect. And if I had stayed, I would have been comfortable too. But I felt something inside me telling me I needed a new challenge. It wasn’t a lack of motivation, because I always want to achieve more, but I needed something different in my career. I felt that Atletico was the place where I could develop better and find my best version as a player.”
“I want to play in the most important games,” he continued. “For example, in the Champions League final, I didn’t play. I didn’t feature much in the semi-final either, and I would have liked to play in those big moments. So, I started thinking about a change.”
Alvarez left City with 36 goals and 17 assists from 103 appearances. Although 61 of those were as starts, many of his opportunities came when Haaland was either injured or rested, with Pep Guardiola even deploying him in midfield due to the fierce competition for places.
Since joining Atletico, Alvarez has already scored 20 goals, forming a strong partnership with Antoine Griezmann in Diego Simeone’s attacking setup.
