Atletico CEO Gil Marin has hit out at Barcelona after Julian Alvarez announced at World Cup 2026 that he wanted to leave the club.
Alvarez has been heavily linked with a move to Camp Nou for several months and said he wants to “fulfill his dream” but didn’t specifically mention Barcelona in his post-match statements.
Marin has now responded to Alvarez’s words by criticising Barcelona and saying the club will file a complaint to FIFA.
Here’s what Marin has said about the saga.
“Our responsibility is to
defend the interests of Atlético de Madrid and that is why we are going to file a complaint with FIFA against Barcelona for negotiating with a player under contract during the protected period,” he told EFE.
“I deeply regret his words. It wasn’t the day to make those statements; it was Messi’s day and the day of the Argentine national team, not Julián’s.
“Julián has a dream, and we Atlético fans have dreams too . It’s true that he’s spoken with us, but it’s also true that he knows our position perfectly well because we’ve been very clear: Atlético doesn’t want to transfer his rights. He’s a great player, and we’re very proud that he plays for us,” the CEO stated.
“Barcelona is disrespecting us; they think they can belittle us, that we are weak or stupid . But what they are really showing the world is a way of acting that defines them.
“They lie to us, to the player, to the media, and they also lie to their own fans. They try to make everyone believe that they can aspire to carry out a transfer for which they are not actually capable of.
“It is not the first time that Barcelona has acted this way, and the football world is perfectly aware of it. Last year they did something very similar with Nico Williams and Athletic Club.”
It’s also not the first time that Atletico have been critical of Barcelona amid speculation about Alvarez.
The club previously posted a series of social media posts posting mock bids for Lamine Yamal and Raphinha after becoming frustrated with the ongoing transfer talk.
