It seems that Cristiano Ronaldo has been able to impress Diego Simeone enough to convince him to move to Atletico Madrid. The Portuguese international is desperate to leave Manchester United this summer, having just one year left on his contract. He has not yet returned for pre-season training with the Red Devils. Bayern Munich and Chelsea have also ruled themselves out of the race to sign him. However, there is no sign of a lucrative move to Saudi Arabia – despite the massive offer the club has received.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s rivalry with Atletico Madrid
Diego Simeone and the players at Atletico Madrid know exactly how competitive this rivalry is. Ronaldo has scored four hat-tricks against the La Liga side, two of which came in the Champions League knockout stages. Real Madrid’s Angel Correa recently told El Mundo that Atletico fans harbor hostile feelings towards the Portuguese star. But Simeone has a solution for Atletico’s problems.
The first step towards Atletico Madrid signing Ronaldo is the transfer window. The Spanish giants have placed Antoine Griezmann on the transfer market. In the meantime, Duncan Castles is in close contact with Jorge Mendes, the Atletico president. Diego Simeone, Ronaldo’s former teammate at Real Madrid, has shown interest in working with the Portuguese international. The two had a long-standing rivalry but Simeone has been impressed by Ronaldo’s willingness to work with him.
Atletico Madrid and Manchester United have only ever met twice, in the 1991 Cup Winners’ Cup. However, Ronaldo has played against Atletico Madrid 35 times in his career, scoring 25 goals and providing nine assists. In these 35 games, Ronaldo has won seventeen and lost nine times. However, Manchester United will be looking to win the Champions League for the first time in their history after receiving a dreadful draw.
In the Champions League, Ronaldo has played at least 10 times against Atletico. Six of his meetings took place while he was with Real Madrid, and four were during his time at Juventus. In the 2014 final, Ronaldo scored the winning penalty for Real. In the 2016 final, Ronaldo didn’t score but did net a penalty shootout in a 5-3 OT win.
As for the 2019-20 season, the Portuguese hasn’t scored against Atletico in either of the two fixtures. However, he did score during his time with Juventus and was credited with a hat-trick in the second leg, helping his side progress to the semi-finals. Cristiano Ronaldo’s three-goal performance against Atletico Madrid in the Round of 16 of the Champions League will go down as one of his best performances ever.
Diego Simeone’s willingness to work with him
The Real Madrid forward has been impressed with Diego Simeones’ attempts to sign him for Atletico Madrid. Atl has placed Antoine Griezmann on the transfer market as they are looking to offload the wage bill of the France international. While Simeone has a good relationship with the Portuguese winger, Atletico could use some individual quality to bolster their team. Three Atletico players scored ten or more goals last season – Antoine Griezmann, Diego Pepe and Ronaldo.
Simeone started his career at Argentine club Velez Sarsfield and then went on to join Italian Serie A club Pisa. He was relegated from Serie A after his first season and failed to gain promotion the following season. After spending two seasons with Pisa, Simeone was sold to Sevilla in Spain’s La Liga. He played there for two seasons before signing with Atletico. After signing with Atletico, he won the Liga and the Copa del Rey.
Despite a flurry of transfer rumours, there are few signs of Ronaldo making a return to Manchester United. His injury-plagued season has left the club in a bind and he has yet to train under the new manager Erik ten Hag. In a recent interview with ESPN’s SoccerNow, Ronaldo discussed his potential destination with Simeone and Atletico manager Diego Simeone.
Despite the recent struggles of his career, Simeone managed to lead Atletico Madrid to its second Champions League final in three seasons, making him the first Argentine manager to achieve this feat since Hector Cuper in 1997. Atletico defeated PSV in the round of 16 on penalties. In the final, Atletico fought off Real Madrid with a penalty in the dying moments to win a UEFA Champions League.
Messi’s lack of match fitness
The lack of match fitness is the main reason why Messi has been unable to impress Cristiano Ronaldo with his attempts to sign him for Atletico Madrid. According to Marca, Simeone told Atletico manager German Burgos that Ronaldo was a better footballer than Messi. The Atletico manager also attacked the Argentina national team.
Ronaldo and Messi have been rivals since the beginning of their careers and have dominated the game. Both have been at their best in recent years. Ronaldo, a Portugal captain, finished last season without a trophy, while Messi, a Ligue 1 winner at PSG, has scored 11 goals in all competitions.
The Spanish club’s latest game against Real Madrid is crucial. The team has had 24 hours less rest than their rivals, and it is a good test for Simeone’s squad. Afterwards, Atletico will play in the derby against Real Madrid. Xabi Alonso and Diego Simeone’s performance against Real Madrid have impressed Ronaldo, who recently expressed his interest in signing Messi.
Barcelona are in the hunt for a striker. In addition to Diego Simeone, Juventus are interested in signing James Rodriguez. The Chilean striker is currently on loan at Bayern Munich and wants to join Real Madrid in the summer. Previously, Bayern had expressed an interest in signing him permanently. Meanwhile, Liverpool are considering selling midfielder Cesc Fabregas to AC Milan for EUR10m next summer. The deal is set to expire in the summer of 2019.
Ronaldo’s comeback against Simeone
The Juventus striker mocked Diego Simeone after scoring a hat-trick in the Champions League match against Atletico Madrid. Simeone had grabbed the crotch of Cristiano Ronaldo during the first-leg celebration and was fined EUR20,000. Cristiano Ronaldo then slapped Simeone with a cleats-only celebration.
The Juventus captain’s hat-trick was the decisive goal in the 3-0 win over Atletico Madrid, and Ronaldo’s trademark cojones celebration was a fitting response. The Brazilian replicated Simeone’s celebration, which was already reminiscent of his own from the first leg. The hat-trick sealed a crucial victory for Juventus, paving the way for the team’s inspirational comeback.
The Portuguese legend has never lost against Simeone in the Champions League, scoring 124 goals for Real Madrid. In Turin, he scored a penalty, and his comeback against Simeone has made him the greatest goalscorer in Champions League history. His last-gasp penalty against Simeone, despite being down 2-0, prompted many to call it a ‘cojones celebration’.
Despite his age, Cristiano Ronaldo’s comeback against Simeone’s Atletico Madrid is a slap in the face for the club’s history with the Argentine giants. Simeone’s team has lost to Juventus in every knockout stage of the Champions League since 2013/14. He had scored just one goal in 10 games since the turn of the year.
Despite being fined PS17,000 by UEFA for celebrating the first leg, Cristiano Ronaldo was still able to net two goals and seal the game with a penalty kick. Atletico Madrid are a team famous for their defensive cohesion. But their game plan against Juventus was not followed correctly. Simeone and his players failed to react to the game plan that was laid out by Massimiliano Allegri. Cristiano scored three goals in the second leg to complete his hat-trick.
With such a comeback against Simeone, Manchester United can make a statement against the Argentines. Ronaldo’s performance will lift his stats and send Po’ Diego into despair. The Portuguese is now the top goal scorer in football history. So, the only question is, how will he do it? Only time will tell. Just as Ronaldo is a pillar of the club, Simeone will be a strong challenger.
