Julian Alvarez reaction goes viral after Simeone substitution in Atletico draw: ‘Always me’
Julian Alvarez has quickly established himself as Atletico Madrid‘s star despite joining from Manchester City last season, contributing both offensively and defensively. However, after Atletico’s 1-1 draw on Sunday, the Argentine forward became the center of controversy after reacting visibly when head coach Diego Simeone substituted him: “Always me.”
Atletico Madrid traveled to Son Moix Stadium to face RCD Mallorca for Matchday 5 of La Liga, coming off a midweek 3-2 defeat to Liverpool that had been a huge blow. Positioned in the lower half of the table, the Colchoneros needed a win to regain confidence after a rocky start to the 2025-26 campaign.
Alvarez had the chance to open the scoring but missed a penalty in the 14th minute, leaving the first half scoreless. In the 62nd minute, Simeone made a triple substitution, replacing Alvarez with Alexander Sorloth. Ten minutes later, Sorloth was sent off with a red card. The goals came later from Connor Gallagher in the 79th minute for Atletico and Vedat Muriqi in the 85th for Mallorca, with the match ultimately ending 1-1.
Controversy erupted when Alvarez, already on the bench, showed visible frustration at the coach’s decision. Cameras caught the Argentine striker saying “Siempre a mí,” or “Always me,” highlighting his dissatisfaction at being substituted, a trend that has occurred frequently in recent Atletico games.
In the post-match press conference, Simeone explained Alvarez’s substitution: “He is the best player we have, offensively reliable. We need him at his best. He was having a very good game, but I felt we needed Sorloth to create some deeper situations inside the box. He was sent off in a confusing play. We were left with one less. And with Julián, all the players get upset when he comes off.”
The 2025-26 season has not started as expected for Atletico Madrid, despite being one of the Spanish clubs that spent the most during the summer transfer window. With just one win, three draws, and two losses across all competitions, Simeone is still reshaping his squad, and Alvarez appears to be one of the most affected players by the coach’s rotations and lack of consistency.
Lack of trust in Alvarez?
Alvarez led Atletico in goal contributions last season, finishing as the top scorer with 28 goals and adding eight assists, while also leading the team in pressing and defensive work rate. Yet, his contributions seem insufficient to fully satisfy Simeone, who has made him a frequent substitute.
Out of 57 games played during the 2024-25 season, Alvarez completed 90 minutes in only 21 matches, less than half. This trend has worsened in the current campaign.
So far in the 2025-26 season, Atletico have played six games (five La Liga matches and one Champions League fixture). Alvarez missed only the UCL game against Liverpool due to injury, but in the other five La Liga matches, he has played the full 90 minutes just once (vs. Elche) and is averaging 73.4 minutes per game—a relatively low number for a star with his physical gifts and potential to be one of the best in his position.