Julián Álvarez enters the Madrid derby as top scorer of the last ten Real Madrid-Atlético meetings

Julián Álvarez arrives at Sunday's derby as the player who has found the net most often in the recent series between Atlético de Madrid and Real Madrid. The Argentine has scored four goals in the last ten official meetings, one more than Antoine Griezmann and Brahim Díaz. The Metropolitano hosts a 4:15 p.m. kickoff in a rivalry that has been defined by razor-thin margins over that stretch.

• Julián Álvarez leads the scoring table across the last ten derbies with four goals.
• 24 different players have scored in that series, producing 39 goals between the two sides.
• Atlético have 20 goals compared to Real Madrid's 19, and only once did a team fail to score.
• Griezmann and Brahim Díaz sit one goal behind the Argentine with three apiece.
• Real Madrid will be without Rodrygo, Militao and Mendy through injury.

How the goals have been shared in the last ten official derbies

Since the Spanish Super Cup semifinal played in January 2024, the Madrid derby has been staged ten times in official competition. Two of those games came in the Super Cup, another two in the Champions League, five in LaLiga and one in the Copa del Rey. In total, 39 goals have been scored without counting penalty shootouts: twenty for Atlético and nineteen for Real Madrid.

The only match in which one of the two clubs failed to score was the second leg of the Champions League round of 16 in March 2025. Real Madrid lost at the Metropolitano after a 2-1 win in the first meeting at the Bernabéu and a 1-0 defeat in the return, sending the tie to penalties. Julián Álvarez and Marcos Llorente missed for Atlético in the shootout, and Real Madrid advanced.

Julián Álvarez's four goals against Real Madrid

The Argentine forward has spread his four derby goals across three different matches. Two of them came in the same game, a LaLiga matchday seven clash in 2025-26 that Atlético won 5-2 at the Metropolitano. His third arrived in the first leg of that Champions League round-of-16 tie in March 2025, and the fourth came a month earlier in a 1-1 draw during the 2024-25 league campaign.

That record has turned Julián Álvarez into the standout figure of the modern derby. He has delivered in high-stakes European nights and in domestic meetings alike, including the most recent blowout win by Atlético over their historic rivals.

The forwards chasing Julián in the derby scoring chart

Right behind Julián Álvarez, Antoine Griezmann and Brahim Díaz each have three goals. The Frenchman continues to carry real weight in the rivalry, while the Spanish playmaker has emerged as a reliable scoring option for Real Madrid in this series. Both will have another chance on Sunday to catch or overtake the Argentine.

One step below, with two goals apiece, are Vinícius, Valverde, Mbappé, Rodrygo, Joselu and Sorloth. The presence of midfielders and different types of forwards confirms that the current derby no longer depends on a single attacking reference.

Defenders are scoring too: the detail that breaks the script

The list of 24 different scorers hides a notable detail: eight defenders have found the net in the last ten official derbies. Among them are Militao, Rüdiger, Mendy, Carvajal, Le Normand, Hermoso, Nahuel and Samu Lino, the latter even though his role has shifted between defence and more advanced positions. That variety underlines the importance of set pieces and late runs from deep areas in these games.

With one goal each, Güler, Lookman, Gallagher, Correa, Llorente, Morata and Riquelme complete the list, alongside some of the defenders already mentioned. The split between eleven forwards, eight defenders and five midfielders reinforces the idea that any player can prove decisive.

Absences and available scorers for the Metropolitano derby

Of the 24 players who have scored in this series, fourteen remain in the current squads: nine belong to Real Madrid and five to Atlético. The Spanish champions, however, will be without three of their recent scorers on Sunday. Rodrygo, Militao and Mendy are all ruled out through injury.

The Metropolitano clash therefore rests in the feet of players such as Julián Álvarez, Griezmann, Brahim Díaz, Vinícius, Mbappé and Valverde, the big names who have fuelled a derby scoring chart that has rewarded efficiency from every area of the pitch.