Photo: Diego Simeone (Getty Images)
The arrival of Diego Simeone as manager of Atletico Madrid in December 2011 has turned the Spanish top flight on its head in less than three years. Since the former Argentina captain took over at the Vicente Calderon from Gregorio Manzano, there has been a massive change in Atleti’s approach and mentally in every competition.
As a player Simeone was known as an all action midfielder who put everything on the line when he stepped onto the pitch for club and country. He was a natural leader and demanded nothing but the best from his teammates and led the way with his attitude, desire and hunger for success. He won the Copa del Rey and La Liga with Atletico Madrid and while at Lazio he managed to capture the Scudetto, Coppa Italia, Supercoppa Italiana and UEFA Super Cup. He also won two Copa America titles during his playing days with Argentina.
His desire, hunger and the flame burning inside for success seems to have gotten stronger as a manager. He became successful in his home nation delivering Apertura success with both River Plate and Estudiantes. On the sidelines he seems to be in the moment of every game with his players and it appears that he is an extra teammate for his teams as they fight for trophies and a chance to make history. He has left his mark in Argentina not just as a player but as a manager.
When he took over at Atleti, he managed to capture the Europa League at the end of the 2011/2012 season. It was a great achievement for a manager moving to his second European club in the same year after saving Catania from relegation in the Serie A. However, he wasn’t satisfied and had his eyes on further success and delivered another silverware defeating Chelsea to win the UEFA Super Cup in 2012.
As if that wasn’t enough, Simeone motivated his boys to defeat city rivals Real Madrid in the 2013 Copa del Rey final. It was a special night defeating their archrivals in their own stadium and lifting the Spanish Cup on the soil of the greatest enemy. Simeone’s army had ended a 14 year, 26 games winless streak against the Galacticos in the best possibe place as an Atleti fan, the Santiago Bernabeau.
The fairy tale continued to the current season in which Atleti defied all the odds to lift the La Liga title ahead of Barcelona and Real Madrid. It has been an 18 year wait for the Atleti fans and the first time since 2002 a team has won the league ahead of the big two, Real and Barcelona. Having seen Real splashed £100M on Gareth Bale it must be really sweet for Atleti to deliver success with their small resources and squad.
Simeone now faces the biggest challenge of his career which is to lift the Champions League trophy. He has led Atleti back to the final after 40 years when they were beaten by Franz Beckenbauer’s Bayern Munich in 1974. Despite their relatively thin squad, they managed to get the better of Barcelona and Chelsea on their way to the final in Lisbon.
There should be no greater motivation for Simeone and his Atletico team than to get the better of their city rivals and the greatest enemy in another final. To raise the bar even higher, he would be ending the ‘La Decima’ dream which is an obsession for the entire Real Madrid empire. It is going to be a tough ask for Atleti but this is the Champions League final and they may never get to this point again.
There is possibly 120 minutes plus penalties left in the 44 year old’s season. It could be a very long game but surely he will be motivating his team for one last push in an effort to left the biggest trophy in club football. He knows how to relax his players and get the fired up at the same time, but he must be careful not to let their emotions get the better of them just because they are playing in a derby match.
Yashiema Love
Senior Contributor
GIVEMESPORT Writing Academy
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