Julian Alvarez spent the summer watching Barcelona try to sign him for a nine-figure fee. On Sunday evening at the Metropolitano, the striker Atletico refused to let go was the one who could not finish the job against them.

Fermin Lopez’s double, either side of half-time, turned a 1-0 home lead into a 2-1 Barcelona win and sent the Catalans three points clear at the top of La Liga. Giuliano Simeone had put the home side ahead in the 10th minute, turning home a close-range volley from an Alvarez cross on the left. Lopez then levelled on the stroke of half-time and struck again in the 66th minute, meeting a Lamine Yamal pass with a first-time finish past Jan Oblak.

Between those two Barcelona goals, Alvarez missed the openings that could have put the game out of reach.

Two openings missed against Joan Garcia

His manager chose to talk about the ones Alvarez had made rather than the ones he had wasted. The Argentine had been involved in three or four of Atletico’s best chances of the match, Simeone said, including the cross for his son Giuliano’s opener. Two clear opportunities fell to Alvarez himself against Barcelona goalkeeper Joan Garcia, and a second-half ball into the box found Alex Baena rather than the net, beIN Sports reported.

Read also: Mourinho named La Liga Coach of the Month as Real Madrid stretch winning run to eight

“He’s a great player. We love him, and we’ll wait for him,” Simeone said to beIN Sports.

Asked about the striker’s form, the Atletico coach doubled down.

“I am not inside his body, but he has our confidence,” Simeone told reporters after the match, via Goal.

Simeone added that Atletico needed the best version of Alvarez if the club were to achieve what they want this season, and that the staff would keep working with him.

Read also: Cucurella responds to Lamine Yamal’s bold claim: “I prefer to stay silent”

The €100m summer that Atletico blocked

The context behind the question matters. Over the summer transfer window, Barcelona submitted a bid worth around €100m for Alvarez, according to multiple reports at the time. Atletico refused to sell. Alvarez, who had publicly signalled that he wanted the move during the 2026 World Cup, stayed under contract at the Metropolitano, where his release clause is set at €500m.

Barcelona eventually ended the pursuit and looked elsewhere. On Sunday the same Barcelona side travelled to Madrid and beat Atletico with goals from Lopez, the player who had kept his place in the forward line the Catalans had tried to reshape around the Argentine.

Atletico slip to third, five points behind

The defeat left Atletico third in La Liga, five points behind Barcelona after 12 matches, Al Jazeera reported. Real Madrid, who have played one game more than the other two, are also on Barcelona’s pace at the top of the table.

Alvarez’s Atletico contract, signed on a six-year deal in 2024, runs until June 2030, with a €500m release clause.

Read also: Xavi on De Jong’s right-back role at Barcelona under Flick: ‘He can play everywhere

Read also: “We did everything we could” – Xavi reacts as Netherlands lose Ayoub Oufkir to Morocco