I Am Scouted by Real Madrid

Cristiano Ronaldo, Chen Zhong.

These are Simeone’s two demons; they always manage to slap Simeone back to reality when he’s happiest.

When Cristiano Ronaldo joined Juventus, Simeone initially thought he would rise again, he even made an improper celebratory gesture, but in the second leg, Cristiano Ronaldo showed Simeone with a comeback.

Your grandpa is still your grandpa!

A comeback is still a comeback!

However, it’s alright now, everything’s alright! Simeone has already "taken down" Cristiano Ronaldo; when the Portuguese joined Manchester United, everyone thought he would stage another comeback.

This time, learning from experience, a quiet Atletico Madrid did not let any surprises happen.

However, people didn’t blame Cristiano Ronaldo too much, as everyone who watched the match could see, the performance of Manchester United’s players was indeed indescribable.

The quality of that cross was simply beyond comment.

The league has been going on for some time, and this season Atletico Madrid has ambitious plans, and Simeone is even more prepared; his professional goal is to lead Atletico Madrid to a Champions League title during his tenure, which would be history that fans would remember.

In Simeone’s early seasons coaching Atletico Madrid, he almost achieved it.

Atletico Madrid is set to host Real Madrid.

Before the match, Atletico Madrid’s coach Simeone attended a press conference, discussing the current situation of the team, and topics regarding Chen Zhong, Alonso, and their opponents.

Initially, journalists were quite concerned about Atletico Madrid’s fatigue and motivation, as Simeone’s tactics put a high demand on players’ fitness.

Simeone didn’t pay much attention to this and seriously stated: "Everything begins with will, this is very clear; besides any impact the body may have at some moment, motivation is a vital tool in everything in life."

"And our will right now is very firm, and our motivation is ample."

"My players are full of desire for victory."

Simeone’s attitude was very resolute, while the Atletico Madrid in his words was like a hungry wolf, with green eyes ready to pounce and tear apart its prey.

That’s natural, given that it’s a home match and a city derby.

Following that, journalists brought up certain controversies surrounding Atletico Madrid and Simeone.

Regarding this, Simeone showed a bit of disdain and said: "I won’t be involved in matters unrelated to match preparation; I don’t focus on what outsiders might say."

"But I understand that we need to play the derby well alongside all the excellent players on the field; players and coaches need to focus on what interests us."

"Let them say whatever they want! We just need to do our thing."

Seeing Simeone not taking the bait, journalists felt slightly frustrated; they were hoping for some controversial topics, but clearly, Simeone had a firm understanding of what he wanted. Afterward, journalists inquired whether Simeone felt nervous about the match.

To this, Simeone candidly admitted: "Across from us is Real Madrid, a team that has players like Chen, and facing Chen..."

Simeone paused for a moment and then spoke: "Facing him, I always feel nervous, anxious, excited, happy, thrilled... he fills me with all kinds of anticipation."

"Since arriving here, this feeling has never changed; I’ve always hoped to lead Atletico Madrid to victory over Real Madrid, which Chen plays for."

"Perhaps, this time I can fulfill my wish."

At this point, Simeone proactively addressed the importance of this match, stating: "Every match is essential; each is extremely significant, not with a value of 7 points."

"But this match indeed holds some special meaning."

"I don’t know how long Chen will stay at Real Madrid, but I hope that in those final years, I can defeat him and leave no regrets."

With cross precedents, Bell precedents, Hazard precedents, many believe that if Chen Zhong wants to end his playing days at Real Madrid, it won’t be due to inability to play leading to retirement, but an option to retire right after fulfilling his contract.

Quite a few predict that Chen Zhong will choose to retire after the 2026 World Cup.

Journalists also mentioned the changes in matches between Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid since Simeone’s tenure; before Simeone, Atletico Madrid had not beaten Real Madrid in a long time.

Regarding this, Simeone smiled, clearly confident in this aspect.

He stated: "Since I arrived here, everything has changed dramatically."

"The club is growing, which is why we’re making progress; the team has also received its due returns, we need to continue growing."

Journalists further raised concerns about Atletico Madrid’s attacking issues; Simeone’s team has always faced weak attacking capabilities. This season, they’ve improved a lot but still aren’t considered excellent.