Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone is their most successful ever, and after 13 years in charge it is difficult to imagine anyone can match his impact on the club. But that doesn't mean he hasn't experienced difficult moments.
Simeone joined the club having won two Europa Leagues and two La Liga titles. At its best, Atletico also reached two Champions League finals in three years, but lost both painfully. The second hit Simeone hard.
“When things aren't going well for you, like in any job, you bring home lower energy. 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 difficult. 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 difficult, 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 take my mind off things and helped me reinvent myself to start over. That's what it's all about. This business is very volatile. You win one game and you're the best, and then you lose the next and you're not. I always tell footballers that no one can take away what you have earned, 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 is gone. Life and the day are about that. One game at a time,” he noted, referencing his now famous motto.
One that has done him and Atletico extremely well. Simeone's side are in danger of winning a third title in thirteen years after a 12-match winning run, which recently culminated in a 2-1 victory over Barcelona. Although Simeone is also known for his emotions, it is clear that he has learned to be as level-headed as anyone off the field.
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