Pep Guardiola has spoken with admiration and warmth about Julian alvarez's impressive rise at Atletico Madrid following his high-profile exit from Manchester City. The Argentine striker joined Diego Simeone's side for around 75 million in the summer of 2024 and has since blossomed into one of La Liga's standout performers. As reported by Softfootball, alvarez's work rate and eye for goal have earned him praise from both teammates and manager alike .
The 25-year-old's start to the 2025/26 season has been nothing short of electric-six goals in seven games, continuing from the fine form that saw him notch 17 goals and 4 assists in 37 appearances during his debut campaign. According to Softfootball, his recent hat-trick in a Madrid derby further cemented his growing status as one of Europe's most complete forwards .
Guardiola, speaking in an interview shared by Fabrizio Romano on his official X account ahead of Manchester City's weekend fixture, shared both pride and understanding over alvarez's departure: