The gesture that turned Correa into a Haaland and Lewandowski

132 days later that gesture is already part of the rojiblanca iconography. Because it changed everything. Because it is the image of a catharsis from which the striker has emerged with the best numbers in Europe at the moment, as recorded @atletico_stats, red-and-white bible on Twitter where he analyzes all of Atlético from the data. There is an Ángel Correa before that. An Angel Correa often desperate, because he shot when he had to assist, because he attended when he had to shoot, because he did everything well, steal, dribble, but he often deflated at the time of finishing, pure foam. A Ángel Correa who found it difficult to get rid of what he liked so little: the revulsive poster, of a while. An Ángel Correa who, however, never lost the trust of the right person. The man with the gesture from which this other Ángel Correa was born, the one after that.

Last season. The cushion achieved by Atlético in a historic first round continues to be cut. Correa had played a good game. He had run, he had given himself, he had attended … But also, twice he stood before the goalkeeper and twice missed the shots. Too much when one is playing LaLiga, when he wants to tear a poster out of his skin with which he does not feel satisfied. When the game ended, the first thing Simeone did was act more as a father than as a coach and there he went, Papa Cholo, to hug and comfort his footballer, sunk by the mistakes, for not having been able to move that 1- 1 end of the scoreboard, when he had it there, on the toe of the boot. “It annoys me that Correa cannot score the goal with what he participates in the team's attacks, generating danger. It is in a stage where it can not put it. If he continues like this, the goal will come, because life and football is work and one day pays. I hope he has what he deserves, which is the goal, “said the coach at the end. Well, someone must have listened to him, perhaps, because from that hug another story began.

World top numbers

What did not come in before, now does not come out. Correa was essential for Atético to achieve the victory of LaLiga last, with that leading edge in Valladolid. Correa is the top scorer in LaLiga, with three goals, Atlético's only scorer. That Correa who has taken a step forward, who is closer to the area, more comfortable. When Griezmann left Atleti, two summers ago, it was predicted that Little angelAs he is called in the dressing room, he could take a step forward, play more in his position, where he likes, as a forward and not the right wing, where he had to appear to play, there was no other place. Today that hug from Cholo has made him lethal to Haaland or Lewandowski. At the moment there is no striker with better numbers in Europe other than Ángel Correa: 8 goals in 11 shots on target (as collects @atletico_stats). Next on the list is the Norwegian, with eight goals in 18 shots on goal. Right away the Pole appears, 8 at 21. In fourth place Messi (7 in 15) and Mbappe (7 in 15). Big words.

But there is more. Since that day, the Argentine is part of the top-3 of great occasions scored (He leads, an old acquaintance of this summer, Vlahovic, with 83% scored, 5 out of 6, followed by the rojiblanco, with 80%, 4 out of 5, and a Real Madrid player, Bale, 80%, 4 out of 5). But in addition, Correa dominates the Top-3 in number of shots to achieve a goal. It does it every 2.6. Yilmaz needs 3.14. Vlahovic, oh, again, 3.33. Now everyone embraces him, every game, in addition to Simeone.