When Diego Simeone (52) stands on the touchline for the 39th time as Atletico coach in a Madrid derby on Saturday evening, fans will once again be able to experience him in his usual manner - fully invested physically, gesticulating, and aggressive. But what appears to many to be a personalized trademark performance or a mascot-like routine, typically has an ingenious game plan behind it.
In this weekend's Top Match on the 23rd matchday of LaLiga, Simeone will draw level with the legendary coach Luis Aragones with his 612th official match as coach of Los Colchoneros, his first having been on January 7th, 2012. His statistics so far: 358 wins, 142 draws and 111 defeats.
El Cholo will also break another record on Saturday. With a total of 425 games, Simeone will go down in the history books of the Spanish top flight as the sole record holder for the most games as a league coach.
From mid-table to title winners
What is much more important, however, are the actual achievements during his era in charge. After winning LaLiga in 1996, Atletico did not finish in the top three of the league once before Simeone arrived. After taking office, the Argentine led his team to third place in his very first full season. Eventually, Simeone succeeded in breaking the longstanding dominance of FC Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Atletico won the Spanish championship in 2014 and the capital club repeated the feat again in 2021. In fact, they have only finished outside the top three once since the 2012/2013 season.
Under Simeone, the club also won the Europa League twice (2012, 2018) and subsequently the European Super Cup (2013, 2019), as well as the Copa del Rey (2013) and the Spanish Super Cup (2015). Simeone also led his team to the final of the Champions League twice (2014, 2016). In the 2014 final, they were just seconds away from a 1-0 win after 90 minutes but arch-rivals Real Madrid equalised late on and won 4-1 in extra time.
That was painful for Simeone and Atletico and two seasons later they again lost to Real in the final - this time on penalties. It was tiny details that Simeone lacked twice to reach the big time, those little details he lacked to rank among the greats in his field. That's because, in the end, it's only the titles that really count. That's why Ancelotti, Mourinho, Pep and Klopp are enthroned by their triumphs in the top echelon of football managers.
The small spender among top clubs
What one should bear in mind, however, is that while, for example, Guardiola or Ancelotti mostly coach the absolute top teams. Simeone stormed to the top with an average LaLiga team and has kept it there for over a decade now.
How significant the difference in opportunities between Simeone's Atletico and other, international top clubs can be seen in their transfer balances.
Since 2013, Atletico has had a transfer fee deficit of around 114 million euros (source: Transfermarkt). By comparison: FC Barcelona is minus 630 million, Bayern Munich minus 341 million, Manchester City minus 977 million, and Manchester United a huge minus 1.181 billion.
Only Real Madrid, with minus 122 million, is in a similar range to Atletico but even here there are remarkable differences. While Real's ten most expensive arrivals in that period all cost at least 50 million euros in transfer fees, this only applies to Atletico's three most expensive signings.
And that's exactly why, in my opinion, Simeone far too rarely gets the recognition he deserves.
In Germany, Atletico's game is often scorned as being destructive and disruptive. I would love to see Guardiola's team play under the same financial conditions, however. Or to put it another way, one of my greatest wishes in sport would be to see Simeone work for a team with greater financial strength. Perhaps this is not so unlikely.
Unfortunately, Diego Simeone's legacy has been somewhat tarnished since the transfer of Joao Felix (23) in 2019. The Portuguese star came from Benfica for 127 million euros and was supposed to finally propel Atletico into the extended circle of big spenders. This also increased the expectations of the club, fans and, above all, the media.
Of course, this was not a completely fair judgement considering that other managers treat themselves to players of this value in every transfer window and Joao Felix had never proven his class outside the Portuguese league prior to the move.
Nevertheless, it must be acknowledged that Atletico's last semi-final in the Champions League was seven years ago. This year, they were eliminated from the group stage in last place. They are also lagging behind in the league at the moment with Barcelona out of reach and with an 18-point lead on them. At fourth in the table, they are fighting to qualify for the Champions League. There are increasingly regular reports that Simeone and Atletico will go their separate ways after the season.
What possibilities does the future hold for Simeone?
Rumours about a possible appointment as Argentina's national coach, for example, have been circulating in the international press for years. In 2019, Simeone had told Fox Sports that he saw himself as "not ready" for the job and that for now, he preferred "working on a daily basis with a team". After Albiceleste's World Cup title, it seems even more unlikely that Simeone will become Argentina's coach in the near future.
In addition, the 108-time international has been repeatedly linked with teams from the Premier League, most recently with the ailing Chelsea or Tottenham Hotspur. The Blues would provide an interesting project for Simeone, where he would have the necessary resources and environment to operate at the absolute elite level and usher in a new era at the club.
Another option is Inter Milan and Serie A in general. Simeone was active there as a player from 1997 to 2003 and Inter was considered one of his favourite clubs. But a stay at Atletico is not out of the question either. There has been speculation about his departure for years, but El Cholo has always remained loyal to Atletico.
Wherever Simeone ends up next, he will do his job with his whole heart and soul, physically fully invested, gesticulating, and aggressive. I am sure that one day we will see him once again on the sidelines of a Champions League final to finish his work and hopefully, then, with the necessary slice of luck on his side.
