Cristian “Cuti” Romero was officially presented as a new Atletico Madrid signing on Thursday, having missed the club’s 2026-27 LaLiga opener, a 2-0 win over Malaga in which a section of Atletico supporters directed chants at teammate Julian Alvarez over his links to Barcelona. The Argentine defender, who arrived after leaving Tottenham, addressed the situation for the first time as he faced the media in his unveiling.
Asked about Alvarez, Romero didn’t hesitate to back his compatriot. “I see Julian doing very well. I arrived five days ago and he’s the same as always, a guy eager to keep scoring goals and entertaining people,” he said, adding that his teammate remains “very locked in,” a focus that Romero said makes him happy given everything going on around him.
Romero‘s comments came just a day after Diego Simeone was asked about the same chants and gave a far more guarded response, saying only that he respects the club’s fans without addressing Alvarez’s situation directly.
Club president Enrique Cerezo struck a similarly supportive tone to Romero’s, insisting Alvarez was never for sale and predicting he’ll win the fanbase back within a couple of matches.
With Alvarez back in individual training and expected to be available for Atletico’s next match against Villarreal on Sunday, Romero’s public show of support adds another voice pushing back against the tension between the forward and a section of the fanbase, even as the club insists the Barcelona saga is now firmly behind them.
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Julian Alvarez left out of Atletico Madrid’s season opener as Diego Simeone addresses transfer talk
Cuti Romero on his own arrival at Atletico Madrid
Beyond addressing Alvarez’s situation, Romero also opened up about what led him to Atletico Madrid in the first place. The 27-year-old joins after five seasons at Tottenham Hotspur, a spell in which he became a key figure for the club, eventually earning the captaincy and winning the 2024-25 Europa League, before Atletico agreed a €40 million deal with Spurs that ties him to the club through 2031.
He’ll wear the number 21 shirt for his debut season under Simeone. “I’m very happy to join this huge club, and I know I’m coming in with the same mentality as always: trying to leave my name written into the history of this beautiful club,” he said, echoing the same ambition that defined his time in England.
