12 August 2023 , 07:00
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A new football season heralds change and a fresh start but for Atletico Madrid, the continuity of Diego Simeone is a reassuring constant in such a fast-paced and ever-changing sport.
The Argentine was appointed at the Spanish capital club in December 2011 and has led them to an unprecedented period of success, winning eight trophies including two La Liga titles. He also led Atletico to the Champions League final in 2014 and 2016.
Simeone is more than just a coach or a focal point for Atletico: he symbolises the club. Los Rojiblancos are a club self-styled on the image of being an underdog, of being everything that their uptown and glamorous city neighbours Real Madrid are not. They revel in the image of ‘ el equipo del pueblo’ – the team of the community, representing those who do not associate with Europe’s most glamorous club across the city.
To truly understand Atletico and Simeone, it is fundamental to appreciate how this image shapes and drives them. This underdog, ‘club of the people’ tag is not unique or revolutionary (think back to David Moyes describing Everton as “the people’s club in Liverpool ”) but it is Atletico who have perfected it and utilised it as a motivational factor for success.
Simeone was celebrated by his squad after leading them to the 2014 La Liga title (Alex Livesey/Getty Images)“We have a fighting spirit on and off the pitch,” Diego Sánchez Trillo, the club’s Head of Business Development, explains. “Those are the values we always seek to transmit, and this is what makes us different. We do not say that we are the best, but we believe we have the values that fans can associate and empathise with.”
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He continues: “Simeone is the one that created an identity for the club and allowed us to be where we are now. We are extremely grateful to him and what he has achieved, and continues to achieve, here.”
This weekend marks the start of Simeone’s 12 th full season in charge of the club – in each of the previous 11 campaigns, Atletico have recorded a top three finish. This is Spain’s third biggest club, with a significant support base around the capital, but prior to the Argentine’s appointment they were also its biggest underachievers. For 16 seasons, they had finished outside the top three and spent two seasons in the second division after a galling relegation at the turn of the millennium.
Simeone joined Atleti at a time when Barcelona and Spain were the kings of European football, playing a possession-heavy style of football that was the envy of rivals across the continent. Yet Simeone's approach was the antithesis of that; where not only was conceding possession of the ball not a priority, but NOT having the ball was quite often all part of the plan.
The description 'to suffer' in Spanish football parlance is a virtue - the ability to withstand sustained pressure and possession from opponents while keeping your shape, discipline and punishing their mistakes. Simeone's Atletico enjoyed suffering, but the pain was usually only felt by their opponents.
Simeone is adored by Atletico's players and fans alike (CURTO DE LA TORRE/AFP via Getty Images)Their elimination of Barcelona - whom they also pipped to the league title that year - in the Champions League in 2014 sparked a national debate about the importance of focus on possession, almost unthinkable in Spanish football. For Atleti, it was not only that they were *not* Real Madrid off the pitch, but they were *not* Barcelona on it. This was Simeone's image, entirely on his terms and with every single player buying into the identity.
Simeone’s longevity and consistency has underpinned this. Perhaps the most similar club in stature and support base within Spain are Valencia: who twice won the league in the early 2000s and, like Atleti, reached two Champions League finals. In the time since Simeone’s appointment, Valencia have been the symbol of instability off the pitch, having 16 different managers in that timeframe. (The full list reads: Unai Emery, Mauricio Pellegrino, Ernesto Valverde, Miroslav Dukic, Juan Antonio Pizzi, Nuno Espírito Santo, Salvador González "Voro" (multiple times), Gary Neville, Pako Ayestarán, Cesare Prandelli, Marcelino, Albert Celades, Javi Gracia, José Bordalás, Gennaro Gattuso, Rubén Baraja.)
“Simeone has given us the stability by consistent qualification for the Champions League, for winning titles and allowing us to grow,” Sánchez Trillo adds. “We are confident he has many more memories left to make.”
Atletico have been moulded in Simeone’s image. The players who thrive under him are those who embody his values of work ethic, teamwork and self-sacrifice for the greater good. Rodrigo De Paul is a natural fit and comparable to his club boss, a fellow Argentine international who plays in the heart of the midfield.
De Paul is an ideal player for Simeone's style of play (Fran Santiago/Getty Images)Speaking of the importance of stability under one manager, De Paul explains: “It always makes things much easier because each coach has their own methodology and ideas of how to play. When you live with the same thoughts for a long time, things become much easier.
“The continuity allows you to generate a much better dynamic and understanding of what you are doing, compared to changing manager frequently. Each coach brings in different ideas and approaches, so you need to adapt – as a professional you do so, of course, but that stability is much preferable to changing.”
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But it was not always certain that Simeone would be in-situ this season. The first half of last season saw a lethargic Atleti endure a miserable time: eliminated from the Champions League when they propped up their group and cut adrift of the top two by the time the World Cup began in November. Rumours began to circulate that Simeone had lost his motivation and was considering walking away.
De Paul shut down those suggestions: “We had no doubts over his future. Atletico is his home and while others may have had doubts, internally in the club – there was no question whatsoever that Diego was going to continue.”
De Paul is a key player for club and country in the heart of midfield (Ruben de la Fuente Perez/NurPhoto via Getty Images)De Paul was one of three Atleti stars to enjoy World Cup glory alongside Ángel Correa and Nahuel Molina. After the tournament, Simeone’s side clicked into gear in the second half of the campaign and were La Liga’s form team: losing just once in a 16-game streak of which they won 13. They finished the campaign just one point off second-placed Real Madrid.
Simeone is the glue for Atletico Madrid, reinforcing their identity and image as the club tangibly changes off the pitch. On one hand, they present themselves as the relatable Madrid club who reject the glitz and glamour yet simultaneously changing more than any other in recent years to cement their new – and historically unfamiliar – status as a member of Europe’s elite.
Three years ago, Atletico were one of 12 founding members of the so-called European Super League. Unlike Real Madrid and Barcelona, they swiftly distanced themselves from the project as other members withdrew and they now insist they have no connection to it and are happy within La Liga and UEFA.
Atletico now have a multi-club model, owning Atlético Ottawa and (50% of) Atlético San Luis in Canada and Mexico respectively (they also owned Atlético Kolkata in India, prior to their 2020 merger with Mohun Bagan AC). Most significantly of all, they left their iconic Vicente Calderón stadium in 2017 for their new Estadio Metropolitano home – located on the other side of city, 12km away.
Atletico moved into their Metropolitano home - 12km from their old Vicente Calderon stadium - in 2017 (Quality Sport Images/Getty Images)Fernando Fariza, the club’s Director of Operations, explains: “It was a brave move to leave our hugely popular former home stadium which had a huge emotional attachment. It was a tough decision to leave but we knew we had to do it if we wanted to keep growing and challenging against the best clubs.”
That switch to the 68k-seater arena has helped the club generate an extra €35million more per year and double their turnover. “We have grown for 15 consecutive years not just in terms of our sporting success but as a business away from the pitch,” Fariza adds. “We have record levels of season ticket holders and members, we have a new stadium and we constantly have higher objectives – it has been a major transformation.”
The stadium move has proven a success, the club now have 150k members and 55k season ticket holders – yet it was a bold, controversial decision that risked not just upsetting supporters but damaging the club’s gritty underdog identity. “The fans wanted to kill us for moving,” Fariza admits. “But that was normal, because we were taking their home away. But it was essential. Before the move, we could not accept all the season ticket holder applications – so this was important for the fans too.”
The club are now, undeniably, part of the furniture of European football’s elite clubs not just in terms of success on the pitch but revenues off it. Their income streams dwarf those of their other Spanish rivals, outside of Barcelona and Real Madrid, and allows them to make Simeone the highest paid manager in world football. This may contradict their self-styled image, but the club argue that it is a necessary stance to convey their identity.
Simeone secured his second La Liga title for Atletico in 2020 (Pedro Salado/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images)“Fans want to see us keep competing in the latter stages of the Champions League and to continue being one of Spain’s strongest teams,” Fariza explains. “Our fans do not demand titles but they want us to compete against the best and showcase our values – so we have to grow off the pitch in order to do so.
“Our fans prefer Atletico Madrid now to the Atletico Madrid of 25 years ago. Now there are more fans of the club, but we have not lost our values in this pursuit.” He concluded: “Atletico Madrid is not just about supporting a football club, but it is about understanding life and having fun.”
Simeone has been the constant for Atleti, through their evolution from underachievers to their new-found status and through their stadium change. The reality is that he will not be around forever, and the club must have a continuity plan.
Under Simeone, Atletico Madrid have become regular winners and a part of football's elite (Burak Akbulut/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)Sánchez Trillo explains that Simeone’s future replacement has to have a specific skillset: “It is essentially for us to have a coach and a team of players who align with our values. It took us a long time to find a strong identity – and that is what the club is, that is above any individual.”
It is no surprise to hear that Fernando Torres – who quirkily captained Simeone before later playing under his management – is currently coach of the club’s Under-19 team. A potential future first-team boss? “He is gaining experience and, just like Diego, he is part of our family,” Sánchez Trillo responded. “We would be more than happy for him to one day become coach of Atletico – that would be amazing! Of course, we cannot predict the future but that is a long-term possibility.”
For now and the foreseeable future, Simeone remains in the dugout. Atletico, as is the case across Spanish football, are pressed for funds. Premier League fans will be familiar with Cesar Azpiliceuta and Caglar Soyuncu who have arrived as free agents, while full-back Javi Galan and defender Santiago Mourino have arrived for modest fees. Fresh challenges await, but that is exactly what the club’s identity should relish.