2023-04-26 23:08:19
More rojiblanco than ever. This is how he received the fans of his Atlético de Madrid in a picture of the Metropolitan that he remembered on the day of its inauguration, almost six years ago. Nearly 60,000 flags with red and white waved in the mattress stadium, which presented a large entrance despite the early hour for a business day. “What a boat the Calderón!”, sang the fans before the start of the match. And a hymn chanted a cappella at times the stage reminded the Manzanares coliseum.
The local parish was turned on by what they considered a pair of hands in the Majorcan area. And even more so when, after Pulido Santana signaled what was going to be the first penalty awarded in the League, he rectified after the VAR call. Not 120 years, but it’s already 31 games without a penalty for the rojiblancos. Simeone asked his fans to increase the decibels to show his anger. And from the South Fund they verbalized it with chants of “Corruption in the Federation!” and remembering “Enríquez Negreira”.
In between all this, Mallorca had scored, and ghosts of past celebrations that were cut short on the pitch loomed over the Metropolitan. But in the last of the first act, De Paul managed to score on a rebound and the audience returned to his birthday party: “I love you Atleti, lorolololololololo!”
It was practically coming back from the locker room and Morata connected with an unstoppable header to turn the game around. The host reminded his visitor who the anniversary was. And the Metropolitan returned to his songs: «Ole, ole, ole, Cholo Simeone!«. And to their demands: »The shield, don’t touch it!«.
With Carrasco’s third, after dribbling past the goalkeeper, nothing could drown out the party. And the public turned to their present idols, “Koke, Koke!”, and past, “Luis Aragonés, Luis Aragonés!”. And it is that Atlético de Madrid goes beyond the earthly: “Hasta la muerte, Atleti hasta la muerte!”.
Sabina said in the centenary hymn “you are turning one hundred years old, and you are younger than the child, who gallops through the bands.” And this is how the Fondo Sur reflected it today on a banner: “120 years later, Madrid continues to beat in rojiblanco.”
the after party
After the game, the tributes began. A long list of illustrious veterans jumped into the center of the field to pose in a crowded family photo: Adelardo, Luiz Pereira, Mendonça, Miguel Ángel Ruiz, Manolo, Pantic, Solozábal…
Some more recent ones, such as Álvaro Domínguez, Juanfran, Gabi, who received a very effusive hug from Simeone, or Fernando Torres, to whom the public thunderously tributed the chant that was played so many times when he was a footballer: «Fernando Torres, lorololololo, Fernando Torres!”.
Historic handball players such as Cecilio Alonso, José Javier Hombrados or Lorenzo Rico, and Atlético Femenino also joined the snapshot. The penultimate, Cholo Simeone, who once again received the warmth of the stands, and captain Koke, the player with the most games in the history of Atlético de Madrid. And the last President Enrique Cerezo, who took a loud whistle from the respectable.
As a climax, Antoine Griezmann went around the field hoisting a red and white flag. The celebration, this time, ended in a party.
“You have to understand”
Cholo Simeone then appeared at a press conference. The Argentine has been questioned about the feeling that he felt when he saw how the Metropolitan public had responded on this occasion, and he has exposed a reflection that can give rise to speculations about who it was directed for. “I have an idea and I am convinced that it is so after so many years here as a player and coach. To feel and love this club you have to understand it. And the moment you understand it, you become part or you are not part of this club. All those people who were there today are the ones who made a wonderful club grow that you have to love and feel. But you have to understand it, because if you don’t understand it, it’s better not to come to this team », he has sentenced.
In this regard, the captain and player with the most matches in the club’s history, Koke Resurrección, has left his particular interpretation: «Until you are inside this club or in the stands you will not understand it. You have to live it, you have to suck it and that makes you different. I have many friends from other teams who have come to the stadium and left in love with what Atleti is. I have been told, this is totally different from my team. Atleti is cool, until you live it or feel it, or are born with it, it cannot be explained.”
Despite the fact that the match began crookedly, since Real Mallorca took the lead, the celebration could have been full because this afternoon was the first comeback of the season for the mattress team. «It makes me proud to have been able to turn around the situation of a not very good stage before the World Cup. The team did not respond, we could not help them out, but the break came and a space that did us all good and from there we saw what we have been seeing eleven years ago. Group work, with a lot of defensive strength, with enormous growth in a lot of footballers, an improvement in the coach, and the support of people (the fans) who were very little in the first stage. And when they all find each other and all four legs are strong, everything is better,” said the Argentine.
Precisely about the fans, after Carrasco’s 3-1, when the public sang jubilantly, Cholo Simeone has been seen asking the fans to come higher, as he has done in so many moments this season, but when the result was not good . Today was different: «It is not easy to change the face as it changed from November to April. And in the same way that there is criticism when things are not right, there is accompanying, celebrating. And today the stadium was wonderful, with all the flags, with the number of people there, with all the ex-soccer players, all the girls, the handball… something that will go down in history.
Morata
Finally, Simeone has assessed the situation of Álvaro Morata, who started again today, scored 2-1 and celebrated with rage: “I was convinced that I was going to score a goal, I told him so. Because I know him, he is a guy who grows with difficulty and appears when the team needed him. And he needed the team. He makes me very happy with his goal because it will generate enthusiasm and confidence in him ».
One of his best friends in the locker room, Koke, has also expressed his opinion about the Madrid striker, who has defended his worth: «Álvaro is the forward of the Spanish team. Today he has scored a spectacular goal, we need him with that energy and that dynamic as I entered Barcelona the other day, like the game he played today. It’s not easy when you’re not playing, but he always works, he always has a good face and is willing to sacrifice himself for the team and he always gives his all, even if it’s from the bench. But he also has eleven goals that are important to us ».
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