March 05, (THEWILL) – Diego Simeone made history on Saturday, as he became Atletico Madrid’s longest-serving coach, breaking the record set by the late Luis Aragones.
Simeone, who has been in charge of the Spanish club for 613 matches, was presented with a framed commemorative jersey before their La Liga game against Sevilla. His team then paid tribute to him with a stunning 6-1 victory over one of his former clubs.
Atletico Madrid’s Memphis Depay scored twice in quick succession before the half-hour mark, while Youssef En-Nesyri halved the deficit from close range late in the half. But Antoine Griezmann restored the two-goal lead early in the second half and Yannick Carrasco made it 4-1. Alvaro Morata then netted twice to wrap up a memorable victory on a momentous day for Simeone.
Club captain, Koke, said it was “a night to enjoy and one that [Simeone] will surely not forget.” He added that “you can’t imagine an Atletico Madrid without Simeone.” Meanwhile, Griezmann explained that his goal celebration, where he hugged Simeone, was because it “is an important day for him is an important day for me.”
For Simeone, however, his focus turned to Aragones, who coached him while he was a player at Sevilla. Ahead of the game, Simeone posted a letter to the late manager on social media, an act he felt was necessary to outline his emotions.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
