Diego Godín

Diego Godín was born in Rosario, Uruguay, in 1986. After starting out at Cerro and Nacional, he moved to Spain with Villarreal and in 2010 joined Atlético de Madrid. Within a couple of seasons he had become the centre of one of the best defences in Europe.

The header at the Camp Nou

On the last day of the 2013–14 season Atlético needed a point at the Camp Nou to win La Liga. Barcelona led at half-time. Early in the second half Godín rose above everyone to head in a corner, the game finished 1–1 and Atlético were champions for the first time in 18 years. A week later, in the Champions League final in Lisbon, he headed Atlético in front against Real Madrid. The cup slipped away in stoppage time, but the image of Godín as the man for the big moment was fixed for ever.

Captain and symbol

Godín was the defensive leader of the Simeone years: strong in the air, brave, organised and impossible to intimidate. Alongside players such as Miranda, Juanfran, Filipe Luís and later José María Giménez, he made Atlético's back line the hardest to break down in Spain. He won the Europa League twice, the Copa del Rey in 2013, the Spanish and European Super Cups, and wore the captain's armband for both club and country.

Legacy

When he left for Inter Milan in 2019 after nine seasons, he did so with one of the warmest farewells the Metropolitano has seen. For supporters, Godín is the definition of what Simeone's Atlético stood for: a team that defends with its soul.