The triumph of Atlético de Madrid against him Villarreal at the Estadio de La Cerámica (0-2) allows the Argentine coach Diego Pablo Simeone add 308 victories at the head of the rojiblanco team, equaling the record in the entity of Luis Aragones, who coined the phrase “Win, win and win again”.
Winning again was what he did this Sunday, thanks to the goals of Alfonso Pedraza in own door and of the Portuguese forward Joao Felix, after three games without doing so, after the draw (1-1) and the defeat against Levante (0-2) and the defeat against English Chelsea (0-1), a fundamental triumph as a spirit reinforcement for the team before of the momentous league derby next Sunday.
With this triumph, the ‘Cholo’ Simeone this Tuesday equaled in victories to Aragonese, undisputed red-and-white legend as a player and coach, died on February 1, 2014, and always remembered in the red-and-white entity.
A fact of historical dimensions, because Simeone tied the 308 victories of Luis in fewer games, 512 compared to 612 duels led by the 'Sage of Hortaleza', and with a better balance of victories in his history: 60.15% of victories in the matches he has directed (308 wins, 120 draws and 84 defeats) compared to 50.32% of Luis Aragonés (308 victories, 135 draws and 169 defeats).
The Argentine also has in his favor that he has obtained this number of triumphs in less time: nine seasons since his arrival at the entity in December 2011, compared to the 15 campaigns in which Aragonés took over the Atlético slate, in four stages ( 1974-80, 1982-87, 1991-93 and 2001-03), although it is true that today more European games are played than then.
Data that put even more value on Simeone's career at the head of the club, of which he is already the most awarded coach with seven titles (one League, one King's Cup, two European Leagues, two European Super Cups and one Spanish Super Cup) for the six of the 'Sabio de Hortaleza' (one Intercontinental Cup, one League, three Copas del Rey and a Spanish Super Cup).
“At no time did I think about competing with Luis. You will be happy from wherever you are seeing us. Since I told him in Seville that Atlético de Madrid loved me as a footballer, he told me what he was waiting for to go. I have no doubt that he will be enjoying it ”, declared Simeone in June 2020, when he equaled the 194 league victories for Aragonés.
Now, the equality in victories between the two most charismatic coaches in the history of Atlético extends to all competitions, a journey that few could anticipate when Simeone arrived in December 2011 to revive a depressed club, with which he is currently fighting for his second league title.
From a motivator par excellence like Luis Aragones -the former Portuguese player Paulo Futre He always remembers that he woke up at dawn before a final of the Copa del Rey in which Atlético beat Real Madrid in 1992-, another – “There are coaches who take motivation very well and the 'Cholo' is one of them ”, Aragonese said about Simeone in 2013 on the eve of another cup final-, Simeone and Aragonés tied this Sunday in victories.
An important distance still keeps the 'Sage of Hortaleza’As the longest-serving coach in the club's history, 100 games apart from Simeone, which in current football figures the Argentine could reach in three seasons. If he succeeds, the record for rojiblancas victories for ‘Cholo’ will be almost unattainable. Win, win and win again.