Julian Alvarez has spoken openly for the first time since signing a six-year deal with Atletico Madrid.

Atletico Madrid’s new striker Julian Alvarez has spoken to the media for the first time since signing a contract with the Rojiblancos until 2030, saying he is delighted to be part of the club. 

Alvarez joined from Manchester City for an initial fee of €70m plus €25m in add-ons, making him the second most expensive signing in Atletico Madrid’s history, after Joao Felix, who joined from Benfica in the summer of 2019 for €127m.

‘I’m very happy, very excited to be here, they welcomed me in the city, in the stadium, I’m very happy and have very high expectations,’ said the 24-year-old forward.

‘From the first second, there were a lot of messages, a lot of things from the fans. As I said, as soon as I arrived at the airport, people welcomed me. In the office as well, here outside the stadium as well. So it’s great to start well. Then it’s time for me to show it on the pitch.’

When asked about his nickname ‘spider’ or ‘Arana’, which means spider in Spanish, Alvarez revealed that it was a nickname he had been called since childhood.

‘Spider came from a very young age, when I was about 3 or 4 years old, playing with my siblings and friends. One day they called me that, and people in the town always called me Spider. It was very normal for me, because sometimes they would call me Julian and I wouldn’t even think about it. So now my nickname has always been there since I was very young, so we’ll keep it that way.’

Alvarez was tipped to be Antoine Griezmann’s long-term replacement but the French forward was instrumental in convincing โปรโมชั่น ufabet the Argentine to join him at Madrid. As was Diego Simeone’s son Juliano Simeone, who will play alongside him in Argentina’s 2024 Olympics squad.

‘Antoine and Juliano are the ones who text me the most almost every day, Rodrigo De Paul as well. I also speak with Naoul (Molina) so they are very attentive to me.’

Alvarez will also have the opportunity to share the dressing room with Giuliano. The youngest son of the Simeone family after Gianluca and Giovanni. 

‘As I said, I spent time with the whole Simeone family, with Gianluca in the River Plate reserve team. With Gio in the national team and now in the Olympic team with Julie. Cholo also told me that there you had the little Cholo, now you have the biggest Cholo. I always have a good relationship with them, so I hope good things will happen. ‘