“He almost fainted from exhaustion” | Relief

I was 27 years old when Diego Pablo Simeone landed in the locker room Inter de Milan. Coming from Atlético Madrid, after three seasons in the Spanish capital, the Argentine midfielder has joined an ambitious discipline project. Nerazzurri in the summer of 1997. WITH Ronaldo Nazario The cornerstone of the project is the arrival of Cholo, which will restore hunger and ambition to Inter, which, at the same time as his arrival, won the title four years later.

“He beat all his teammates thanks to his desire to win and the determination he always showed, both in training and in games. For us, he was a fundamental player who never gave up.” The person who makes such statements to Relevo is a former football player Francesco Moriero. The midfielder, Simeone’s partner for two years in the Italian national team, has wonderful memories of the current Atletico Madrid coach. “We met in the 97-98 season. I also just arrived at Inter. Simeone was a great boy and man in the dressing room.

“, remember.

Playing his last match in the blue and black jersey in May 1999, 25 years later Cholo was reunited with one of his greatest loves. V first leg of the Champions League round of 16 at San Siro (21:00, Movistar+). As coach, Simeone will face his former team for the first time. In his 663 games in charge of Atlético Madrid, the Argentine has yet to have the opportunity to face his former team. Yes, it was done by Atlético, who won the European Super Cup against the Italians in 2010 with Quique Sanchez Flores on the bench.

His great goal against Milan and songs on the bus

The undisputed idol of Colchonera fans, Milan also has wonderful memories of the man who defended the Inter jersey for two seasons. Having won the UEFA Cup in his first year, his performance against Milan in Derby Della Madonnina (0-3) in March 1998is still in the memory of fans.

“He scored two beautiful goals“, says Moriero. The first of the two after a header from a corner, the former Italian player does not forget the beauty of the second. “It was wonderful. The play was born out of a counterattack. As he stood in front of the goalkeeper, he dribbled the ball and ran 40 meters. He almost fainted from fatigue. “We all jumped on him to hug him.”

Of the players who played the most minutes in the entire squad (3,122 in the first season and 3,843 in the second, according to Transfermarkt), Simeone quickly became part of a group that began to acquire some Argentine habits. “Before the games, on the bus, we started singing the songs we sang at the stadium.

We weren’t used to it, but he meant it to all of us. It became a ritual that we performed before and after winning matches. He was a man who knew how to motivate his colleagues.“, Moriero recalls.

Return to Milan… as a coach

The football player whoalways wanted to win” And “contributed to giving charisma to the team“At 27, Simeone already had the makings of a leader.”Given his personality and the way he spoke to his teammates, you would think he could one day make a career out of coaching. Look now. He’s one of the best in the world,” says his former teammate.

After playing 85 matches for Inter, Cholo swapped Milan for Rome in the summer of 1999 to sign for Lazio. Two courses at the epicenter of fashion Simeone were enough to realize the love and appreciation he had gained for Inter. “My children, my wife, my father – they all know that one day I will coach Inter. This is not news or something new“, Cholo admitted at a press conference before a match with Bayern Munich in 2016.

“Sooner or later he will become the coach of Inter, Diego also said this. I think it’s a matter of time, he really likes the place, the atmosphere of life in Milan.

– noted his sister and representative Natalia Simeone in 2018. – I would like to see him as Inter coach one day. Simeone is not only a great coach, but also reflects the philosophy of the club. “Give everything for the jersey and have the desire to win.”” says Moriero, speaking about this possibility.

Changing from a short suit to a full suit blackTonight marks Simeone’s first match against his former team. When you look around, I’m sure the people of Buenos Aires have hundreds of memories that come to mind.