Julian Alvarez has established himself as Atletico Madrid's key player but the club still need to prove to the Argentina international they belong among Europe's elite and can fulfil his ambitions.
The Rojiblancos visit to last season's semi-finalists Arsenal in the Champions League on Tuesday is a fine opportunity to test their mettle, AFP said.
Diego Simeone's side are unbeaten in six games across all competitions since they fell to a last minute defeat by Liverpool at Anfield in September.
Virgil van Dijk's stoppage time winner left Atletico with a familiar sinking feeling and compounded what had been a poor start domestically, on the back of a trophyless 2024/25 campaign.
In the following days there was renewed speculation Barcelona were interested in signing the striker next summer as a replacement for veteran Robert Lewandowski.
"People always talk," said Alvarez, neither fanning the flames of the rumors nor completely quashing them.
Alvarez joined Atletico in a deal worth 85 million euros ($99 million) from Manchester City in the summer of 2024 and scored 29 times in a strong first season.
Antoine Griezmann's influence on the team receded and Alvarez took up the reins, particularly in the second half of the campaign.
The striker had a controversially disallowed penalty in the shoot-out against Real Madrid in the Champions League last 16 last season as Atletico were knocked out, precipitating the collapse of their season.
The club rebuilt this summer and although they took a while to find their rhythm, Alvarez has raised his game to a higher level.
The 25-year-old scored a hat-trick against Rayo Vallecano to claim a 3-2 win for his side, before netting twice against Real Madrid in a 5-2 rout of Atletico's arch-rivals.
Alvarez also scored and created two more goals as Atletico thrashed Eintracht Frankfurt 5-1 in their second Champions League match to get back on track in Europe.
Before that run of matches Alvarez appeared frustrated with Simeone, who hooked him repeatedly before the end of matches.
Alvarez later said lip-readers had got it wrong and he had not criticized his coach.
However after Alvarez's outburst and the Barcelona links, Simeone realized keeping the striker happy was a top priority.
"Julian is an extraordinary player, he is committed to the team, he is committed to the club, he is giving his all, obviously, and we are delighted to have him with us," said the coach.
"We have to take good care of him so that he stays with us for many years to come."
'I'd love to have him'
Simeone said Alvarez, who won the World Cup with Argentina in 2022, was Atletico's "best" player, in a rare break from his usual team-first approach.
Alvarez's performances have also drawn admiration from his former coach Pep Guardiola, who praised him last week.
"Julian had to compete with Erling (Haaland), which was something extraordinary for us. Now he's at one of the best teams in the world, Atletico Madrid, with a world-class coach and team-mates, and he's performing incredibly well," said Man City boss Guardiola.
"Now I'd love to have him with me... but I understand (why he left)."
The striker won two Premier League titles and the Champions League during two impressive seasons at City.
Alvarez will not come up against many tougher defenses than Mikel Arteta's Gunners at the Emirates.
Playmaker Alex Baena's return from injury is a boost for Atletico and Alvarez, who already showed signs of a good connection with the summer arrival on Saturday as Simeone's team edged Osasuna 1-0.
Baena had a goal disallowed for offside against Griezmann after a fine assist by Alvarez and it could be a fruitful combination in the future.
The key to keeping Alvarez happy, though, will be showing they can defeat teams of Arsenal's caliber on the way to silverware.
