Julian Alvarez netted the winner for Atletico Madrid against Deportivo A Coruna and then apologised for trying to force a move to Barcelona over the summer.

The transfer saga surrounding Alvarez was the talk of the recent transfer window, as he said he wanted to leave Atletico during an interview at the World Cup, with Barcelona his preferred destination.

The striker ultimately stayed at Atletico and has been eased back into action by Diego Simeone.

He scored his first goal of the season in their 1-1 draw with Stuttgart in the Champions League in midweek and followed that up with a 48th-minute goal to secure a 1-0 win over Deportivo to move Atleti within two points of leaders Barcelona, who face rivals Real Madrid on Sunday.

"I want to apologise to our fans for my words during the World Cup," Alvarez told Movistar, as quoted by ESPN. "It was a mistake in terms of how I expressed myself and the timing.

"I understand the fans' [anger], especially given how they've supported me since I arrived. They have been very generous toward me. Now it's time for me to get to work and give everything I've got.

"I'm feeling better and better. I've always had support. I'm working on improving. I'm feeling better physically.

"When you feel good in life, it shows on the pitch. Even though we are professionals, everything has an impact."

“ I wanted to apologize to our people” https://t.co/qJ1CSEg0WU

— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) October 24, 2026

Alvarez has scored in two consecutive matches for Atletico in all competitions for the first time since April, when he scored in the Copa final against Real Sociedad and in the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals against Arsenal.

Simeone has maintained his support for Alvarez throughout the whole saga and noted how important he is to the club's continued development.

"I have a great deal of respect for people who apologise, because apologising is not easy," Simeone said. "I'm very happy for [Alvarez]; he must feel a great sense of peace.

"When someone says something like that, it's because they truly mean it. As for the player, I'm absolutely delighted. We need him.

"If the club wants to reach the heights the fans dream of, we need Julian Alvarez to be at his best."

Atletico have now won each of their last six LaLiga matches, keeping a clean sheet in the last two.