In football unanimity is, as it is said in Brazil, “White Flies.” They are extremely rare even if the professional has titles and honors. It suffices an omission in the imagination of the public opinion so that its name is stained. One of such “white flies” is Diego Simeone. There is no Atleti fan who does not love him. And it is not for titles won, but much more for the rescue of self-esteem and the respect for the club’s identity he brought back with his philosophy.

Illustration by Antonio Losada (@chapulana)

It is often said that in order to defeat a genius one must work ten times more than he does. That’s the situation Atletico Madrid always found itself in while facing its biggest rival. Real Madrid has always been the crown team, the “more Spanish” side, the symbol of a united Spain — often in a clear clash with Barcelona, ​​obviously — and for that reason has always had more appeal, more sponsors wanting to feature on its threads, more fans, and even more support from the media. Atletico, in this context, shaped itself as an institution struggling to equalize. Even if he did not get the same titles, the important thing was to always fight and never give up. In this context, there is no technician, at least in the last decades, who has understood the mattress personality so well as El Cholo Simeone.

Despite being described as a “defensive/reactive coach”, there is beauty in the way Simeone’s team controls the rival even without the ball. The main virtue of El Cholo’s game is the way he encloses the opponent in a certain part of the field, inducing it to play on the area where he believes its weak spot is at. Another great virtue is the way he treats athletes in the locker room: he is an excellent person manager, and a great motivator. A football coach, in addition to knowing a lot about the game, needs to know the ways to approach his pupils because he, the coach, is above all someone trying to convince a group of people to do what he needs and asks for. Simeone’s players believe him more than anybody else. Simeone seems to be playing video games given the ability he holds to control the movements and gestures of his athletes.

Above all, Diego Simeone and Atletico Madrid represent a beautiful marriage. Just as it was with Barcelona and Pep Guardiola, it is difficult to imagine an Atleti with another commander, just as it is difficult to think of Simeone leading another team. One day, both things will happen, so let’s try to enjoy the marriage while it lasts, and hope for it not to end too soon and last at least a few more years. Football would thank both parts.