Julian Alvarez is expected to be one of Atletico Madrid's key figures in London, in a match that, according to reports, he has been "visualizing" for years.
Despite the increased medical care after the collision with Eze in the first leg - where he was forced to be substituted - nothing is keeping "La Arana" away from a duel he has long dreamed of.
The story begins in 2016, just a year after Alvarez entered River Plate’s dormitory at “Monumental”, where the club’s youth combine education with sports preparation.
Back then, in Buenos Aires, Champions League matches kicked off at 4pm and often clashed with school hours.
That was also the case with the 2016 semi-final second leg, when Atletico played Pep Guardiola’s Bayern Munich in Munich for a place in the final in Milan.
Julian, then 16, put his phone on the bench during class so he wouldn’t miss a moment of the match. He witnessed one of Simeone’s Atletico’s most famous nights up close, with Griezmann’s goal that sealed qualification and captivated him.
That evening, according to those close to him, became a kind of “promise” for the future. Alvarez would tell the coaches: “You’ll see when I’m there,” even though at the time he was still at the beginning of his journey in the River academy, until Marcelo Gallardo gave him his first chance with the first team.
Fate would have it that years later, Guardiola – the coach he followed on his phone screen – would also become the coach with whom Julián would win the Champions League.
While today, a decade after that semi-final, he finds himself in a similar situation, but now as the protagonist of Atletico, in a great challenge where the former dream from the school benches is becoming a reality.
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