Given his exploits and what he has achieved with the club, it’s only natural that Simeone has been linked with some of the biggest clubs in the world and after 4 years in charge of the Rojiblancos, it might seem like it is time to move on, but a certain 31-year-old defender believes that the Argentinean can create a legacy at Atletico Madrid like Alex Ferguson created one at Manchester United.
At the age of 45, Diego Simeone has led an underdog side to win the La Liga, the Copa del Rey, the Europa League and has also led them to a Champions League final. The man has redefined modern day football and continues to wow people all around the world with his tactics. And one person who is in awe of the manager is his own player Juanfran who has backed the Argentinean in establishing an empire in Spain.
In talks with Onda, Cero Juanfran said “He doesn’t give me the feeling that he can leave. He signed until 2020 and he can extend that, for him there is no better team than ours. He feels what this club is – why can’t he be the Ferguson of Atleti?”
Furthermore talking about the league and the prowess of Real Madrid and Barcelona, the defender said “La Liga is the strongest of all. To compete with Barca and Madrid is the most difficult thing. They are strong, with great teams behind us, like Valencia, Sevilla, Villarreal.Hopefully we stay there [top] for a few weeks. Then we’ll say we’re aiming for the title.” Currently occupying the top position in the league, the Rojiblancos will travel to Camp Nou on 30 January for a showdown that will be a key battle in the fight for the title. Relishing the opportunity of facing Neymar again the 31-year-old said “In some games I’ve stopped him and in others I haven’t,” added the 31-year-old. “There are games where he’s good and others were he’s not so good, hopefully in two weeks he won’t be. And what happens on the pitch stays on the pitch”