Head coach of Atletico Madrid, Argentine Diego Pablo Simeone, stands during a training session of the team at the Cerro del Espino sports centre in Majadajonda, outside Madrid. The Atletico Madrid will face Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League’s final at the Estadio da Luz stadium in Lisboa on 24 May 2014.  (EPA)

DPA/Madrid


Diego Simeone has transformed the footballing balance of power in Spain in just over two years, and is now planning to give Atletico Madrid their first Champions League by beating neighbours Real in Lisbon Saturday.
At the start of 2012, Spanish football was firmly in the iron grip of the bipolar hegemony of Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Not since 2004 had a team outside the big two won La Liga. The fact that Barca and Real had their own television contracts, giving them much greater revenue than the other clubs, only added to the perception that they would continue to rule the roost for many years to come.
Then, as in an apocalyptic spaghetti western, a Man in Black - clearly Simeone’s favourite colour, regardless of the season - walked onto the stage.
Diego Simeone was back. He had agreed to return to troubled Atletico Madrid as coach seven years after finishing his second spell there as a hugely popular box-to-box midfielder.
Rarely has one man changed the balance of power so quickly in a major footballing country, transforming a relegation-threatened rabble into a team of champions.
Two years after the Man in Black’s return, Atletico are on cloud nine after winning their first Liga since 1996 - when Simeone was a key figure in midfield.
They finished three points above Barca and Real. Even more importantly, they face Real in Saturday’s Champions League final in Lisbon, having edged out Barca in the quarter-finals.
Simeone has guided Atletico to four major trophies in his astonishing 30-month reign, and the players - who were largely a frustrated, forlorn bunch back in 2012 - are very grateful to Simeone for the transformation he has affected.
“I have grown the same as the team has grown since the arrival of Simeone. Little by little we have developed into a great team, with character, spirit and as winning mentality,” said defender Juanfran.
Meanwhile, Simeone himself said after clinching the league title with a defiant 1-1 draw at Barcelona Saturday: “This triumph is mostly because of hard work. The team has always understood the importance of hard work and solidarity.
“Today we have made history but we will have to get back down to work soon, in order to prepare the final in Lisbon.”