Ex-Barça and Atlético star: Julián Álvarez is a complete striker | OneFootball

The leap that Julián Álvarez made from the Premier League to Atlético de Madrid was a success. Because he left the comfort of Manchester City, where he moved in the shadows of Erling Haaland, to become a protagonist at Atlético de Madrid, where in his first season he established himself as one of the most outstanding forwards in world football.

So much so that he is currently among the top scorers in the five major European leagues. With 9 goals in 15 matches, he ranks sixth in the top scorers’ standings, behind: Harry Kane (23 in 17), Erling Haaland (19 in 15), Kylian Mbappé (18 in 16), Luis Díaz (11 in 17), and Joaquín Panichelli (10 in 15).

Because of these numbers, he is, without a doubt, the key piece in Diego Simeone’s system. All the attacking planning revolves around the Calchín-born player, a decision that, to some extent, is endorsed by David Villa, a striker who was a champion with Atlético de Madrid in LaLiga 2014.

“As for foreign players, I currently like Julián Álvarez a lot; I think he is a complete forward,” commented Villa, who was also an eight-time champion with FC Barcelona (5 domestic and 3 international titles, including a Champions League) and a World Cup winner with Spain in South Africa 2010.

On the other hand, considering his time with La Roja, in the conversation with Diario AS, they took the opportunity to ask him about the center forward position for the team led by Luis De La Fuente: “It may sound bad coming from me, but the hardest position to find is a striker who scores goals.”

And in that same vein, David Villa added: “In our time, we had great forwards and it was always said that a number 9 was missing. That’s why I think it’s more a matter of this need always existing than the fact that there aren’t any. In Spain, there are great number nines who can fill that position and they are proving it.”

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.