Overview
- He curled in a free-kick in a 2-0 Champions League quarter-final first leg over Barcelona, taking his season tally in the competition to a club-record nine.
- He said he missed five or six free-kicks in training the day before and stepped up with Lionel Messi’s 2019 Camp Nou strike in mind.
- Club president Enrique Cerezo told suitors that Álvarez “has a contract,” pushing back on interest reported from Barcelona and Arsenal.
- Spanish reports say Atlético is preparing a new deal that could double his salary to ward off bids, with his current contract running to 2030.
- Álvarez says he is happy in Madrid but stopped short of pledging to stay, keeping summer speculation active as the tie returns to the Metropolitano.