Diego Simeone reveals worst moment at Atletico Madrid and his advice to players

Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone is their most successful ever, and after 13 years in charge, it is hard to imagine anyone equalling his impact on the club. But that is not to say he has not been through tough moments.

Simeone came into the club and has won two Europa Leagues, as well as two La Liga titles. At their very best, Atletico also reached two Champions League finals in three years, but lost both in agonising fashion. The second hit Simeone hard.

“When things aren’t going well for you, like in any job, you bring a lower energy home. But you see your daughters laughing, your wife smiling at you and that anger changes. We always tell the experience of when we lost the second Champions League final. That was very hard. I always say that to win the Champions League you have to play 90′, 120′ or a penalty shoot-out. I played 120′ and we lost and it went to penalties and we lost. The second time was very hard, I was very sad, I wondered if I would have the strength to continue leading a group to a place where it is difficult to reach,” he explained, during a sit-down interview with his wife Carla Pereyra.

“Carla immediately took me everywhere to distract my mind and helped me reinvent myself to start over. It’s about that. This business is very changeable. You win one game and you’re the best and then you lose the next one and you’re not. I always tell footballers that no one takes away what you earned, but people only care about today. Life itself is the same. You are with your friends and if you don’t give passion to your friends, or to your partner, it’s gone. Life and the day is about that. Game by game,” he noted, referencing his now famous motto.

One that has done him and Atletico extraordinarily well. Simeone’s side are threatening a run to a third title in those thirteen years, after a 12-game winning run, which most recently culminated in a 2-1 victory over Barcelona. While Simeone also has a reputation for his emotion, it’s clear that he has learned to be as level-headed as anyone away from the pitch.