Julián Alvarez has his next destination clear: Budapest

SEVILLE, SPAIN - APRIL 18: Julian Alvarez of Atletico de Madrid celebrates scoring his team's second goal during the Copa Del Rey Final match between Real Sociedad and Atletico de Madrid at Estadio de La Cartuja on April 18, 2026 in Seville, Spain. (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images) | Getty Images The front page of Marca on Tuesday morning served as notice to the unaware — including those living in Spain and working in the nation’s sports media — that there is a Spanish semifinalist in this season’s UEFA Champions League. “We want to make our own history,” trumpeted Marca’s portada, the quote taken from Julián Alvarez’s media availability at Atlético’s media day on Monday.

#LaPortada 🗞️ "La historia la queremos hacer nosotros" pic. twitter. com/EjSY5e3HUZ — MARCA (@marca) April 27, 2026 Sprinkled in between queries about Alvarez’s playing future — which many weirdly believe will be in Barcelona from this summer — La Araña revealed that he is at 100 percent (or as close to it as he can be) entering Atlético de Madrid’s season-deciding Champions League semifinal tie against Arsenal, another team to whom the star striker has been bizarrely linked.

It was only 20 months ago when Atlético stunned many observers (including me) by pulling off a €75 million transfer for Alvarez, who had played just two seasons at Manchester City and was not thought to be agitating for a move. But move he did, and once in Madrid, he landed in a dressing room full of Spanish-speakers and Argentina teammates. Alvarez ended his debut season in Spain with 29 goals, including seven in the Champions League as Atleti bowed out in the round of 16.

This season, Alvarez’s form in LaLiga has dropped off considerably; a lengthy scoring drought and prioritization of other competitions means he’s scored just eight goals in the league. But he’s scored nine in the Champions League, the most an Atleti player has ever accrued in a single campaign. He generated five of the seven goals that Atleti scored against Tottenham Hotspur in the round of 16, and his free kick in the first leg of the quarterfinals at Barça is one of this season’s best moments.