Hot South American blood and such a specific English way of provocation hardly go together. An example once again was Diego Simeone and a few Liverpool fans.
A goal in stoppage time is especially painful, and when it is accompanied by various shouts and gestures from the stands that are so close to the bench, then perhaps it is not surprising that the temperamental, often grumpy, Ćolo "lost his head".
The scenes when the Atletico Madrid coach ran into the Anfield fans after Virgil van Dijk scored in the 92nd minute for a 3-2 victory will remain in our memory, but will also serve as a reminder that Simeone and the English have had an unresolved score for a long time.
And it all started in the summer of 1998 in France.
Acting in Saint-Etienne
The round of 45 of the World Cup in France brought a super classic between Argentina and England. After a spectacular 2 minutes in Saint-Etienne, it was 2:XNUMX, with goals from the then young Michael Owen and Javier Zanetti on the other side, but also a detail that changed the course of the match.
At the start of the second half, Simeone fouled David Beckham and whispered something to him as the England superstar lay on the pitch. All of this provoked the "proud Albion" midfielder, who kicked Colo from the ground - it wasn't a hard blow, but the Argentine fell as if it had.
Referee Kim Milton Nilsenn, who was standing nearby, had to send Beckham to the shower early. England held on to a penalty shootout when they were knocked out of the World Cup, and the whole Island had Beckham to blame.
"It was the hardest moment of my life," Beckham later said.
"Of course it wasn't a strong blow, but I used the situation to convince the referee that it was," was Simeone's message. "Anyone would do it, if you don't use situations in life then you're lost."
How cynical his statement was for the English was also conveyed by the words of Roberto Perfume, the former captain of Argentina.
"Simeone decided to act and sent Beckham off. It's something one of your naive and honest English players could never do," Perfumo said.
Trk sa Teatra snova
Beckham "got revenge" on the Argentines at the World Cup four years later in a group stage match when he scored from the penalty spot to give England victory, and after his playing career, Ćolo became an excellent coach and turned Atletico into one of the strongest teams in Europe.
So in 2022, he arrived at Beckham's former home, Old Trafford, with the "Colchoneros". Of course, the atmosphere at the "Theater of Dreams" in the round of XNUMX of the Champions League was electric, but unlike "Anfield", Simeone left England victorious.
He didn't even say goodbye to the home coach (as he did many times throughout his career) and instead sprinted towards the tunnel and the locker room. At that moment, many objects (mostly plastic cups) flew towards him.
"I don't know what happened, I didn't see anyone throw it at me," said Ćolo, even though it was obvious that he was running to avoid objects from Old Trafford.
They insult me, and I have to keep quiet and suffer.
When it comes to the match with Liverpool and the clash with the fans at Anfield, the Atletico Madrid coach says that it wasn't easy to listen to the insults.
"They talk about how they're going to create a good atmosphere, and the whole game they insult you behind your back and I'm not allowed to say anything about it because I'm the coach. My reaction to the insult is not justified, but you don't know what it's like when they insult you for 90 minutes without stopping. And of course, when the opponent scores a goal just in time, you turn around and they continue to insult you," Simeone told Movistar.
He continued in a similar tone.
"Just as we fight against racism, we could also think about this, because we have no right to react, and it's not easy to be surrounded and insulted throughout the entire game. I'm just a person, after all," Ćolo concluded.
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