Diego Simeone

Diego Pablo Simeone has two Atlético careers, and either one alone would make him a legend. Born in Buenos Aires in 1970, he made his name at Vélez Sarsfield, Pisa and Sevilla as a fierce, intelligent midfielder who never stopped running. In 1994 he joined Atlético de Madrid.

The double of 1996

Under Radomir Antić, Simeone was the engine of the team that won La Liga and the Copa del Rey in 1995–96, the famous double. He chipped in with important goals from midfield, but above all he gave the side its edge: the tackles, the pressing, the refusal to accept defeat. He left for Inter Milan in 1997 and then Lazio, where he won Serie A, and returned to Atlético for a second spell from 2003 to 2005 before finishing his playing career at Racing Club. He also captained Argentina and played more than 100 times for his country.

The return as coach

When Simeone took over the first team in December 2011, Atlético were drifting. Within months they had won the UEFA Europa League in Bucharest, followed by the UEFA Super Cup against Chelsea. In 2013 they beat Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey final at the Santiago Bernabéu, and in 2013–14 they won La Liga on the last day of the season at the Camp Nou, breaking the dominance of Barcelona and Real Madrid.

Partido a partido

His teams were built on work, defensive order and belief, summed up in his motto: 'partido a partido', one game at a time. Atlético reached the UEFA Champions League final in 2014 and again in 2016, won a second Europa League in 2018 and another Super Cup, and lifted La Liga again in 2020–21. Under Simeone the club moved from the Vicente Calderón to the Metropolitano, grew into a regular in the Champions League and changed how the world saw it.

Legacy

No coach has led Atlético in more games. For many supporters 'el Cholo' is more than a coach: he is the man who taught a club with an inferiority complex that it could beat anyone. His page as the current head coach is linked below.