Although the capital club are currently languishing sixth in LaLiga, with their coach’s long-term future subject to mounting speculation, Simeone’s time in charge of Atleti is likely to be celebrated long after he departs.
From that unforgettable LaLiga title triumph in 2013-14 to those agonising near misses in the 2014 and 2016 Champions League finals against bitter rivals Real Madrid, we take a look at the Opta statistics behind one of the finest coaching reigns of the modern era in European football.
DIEGO SIMEONE’S ATLETICO MADRID IN NUMBERS
- Simeone (190) has been in charge of the second-most matches in Atletico Madrid history. The only coach with more Atleti games under his belt is Spain’s Euro 2008-winning coach Luis Aragones (407).
- Atletico’s run of 14 consecutive wins at their Vicente Calderon home between May 5 2012 and March 10 2013 stands as a club record.
Simeone became the first Atletico boss to reach two Champions League or European Cup finals before his men suffered penalty shoot-out heartache at San Siro back in May.
The five titles Simeone has won for Atleti are bettered only by Aragones (six).
The winners’ medals he holds are from the 2011-12 Europa League, the 2012 UEFA Super Cup, the 2012-13 Copa del Rey, LaLiga 2013-14 and the 2014 Supercopa de Espana.
Simeone has presided over a famously miserly defence at Atletico. In their title-winning 2013-14 campaign they were breached 26 times in 38 LaLiga matches, keeping 20 cleansheets, while last term the number of shutouts climbed to 24 with only 18 goals conceded.
Attacking verve has not been so readily associated with the Argentine but Atleti found the net 116 times across all competitions in 2013-14.
In 2014-15, Simeone became the first Atletico boss to lead the club out of the Champions League group stages for two consecutive seasons. That unbroken run now stands at four after they pipped Bayern Munich to top spot in Group D.
