Simeone's emotional letter to Luis Aragonés: "I know that Atleti was your life and you know that Atleti is also mine"

Diego Pablo Simeone always remembers that Luis Aragonés was a transcendental character in his signing as an Atlético de Madrid player.

He was his coach at Sevilla, in the 93-94 season, when he informed the Hortaleza coach of the offer he had from the rojiblanco club.

Simeone was looking for advice from someone who knew Atlético first hand and what he found was the definitive push.

"But what are you waiting for to go there?" Aragonés snapped.

This Saturday, almost 30 years after that episode that began to write the deep-rooted and passionate story of Simeone and Atlético, the Argentine coach will surpass Aragonés as the coach who has directed the most games (612) for Atlético.

He will do it by chance against Sevilla (9:00 p.m., Movistar LaLiga).

For the occasion,

El Cholo has written an emotional letter addressed to Luis Aragonés and published on his social networks at 7:03 p.m. this Friday.

The numerology of the hour coincides with that of the year the club was founded: 1903.

Simeone begins the letter by talking about you to Aragonés, which is how he always addressed his footballers.

“You know that I am not much of these things, of showing feelings of this type in public, but today I want to do it.

I want to do it to tell you that I begin this letter almost with tears in my eyes and an enormous feeling of emotion, but above all respect.

It is hard for me to believe that tomorrow [for this Saturday] I will exceed the number of games, 612, that we share today directing our beloved Atleti ”, the letter begins.

Dear Luis.

pic.twitter.com/jrvIaULr6p

– Diego Pablo Simeone (@Simeone) March 3, 2023

Simeone's milestone comes in what can be described as his worst season at Atlético since he came to his bench in December 2011. The team is off the hook in the fight for the League, they were eliminated from the Champions League as last in the group, which left him without the possibility of rejoining the Europa League, and his figure has been questioned internally and externally like never before.

In the tone of the writing there is a point of claim for Simeone that is not results-oriented, but rather one of identification and feelings towards the club.

“I wanted to tell you that during all these years I just tried to do my best.

You know me and you know that my responsibility and my commitment are being the greatest in my life ”, he expresses.

Aragonés never directed Simeone at Atlético, but the year they met in Seville he related them.

The Madrid coach predicted that he would be a coach, but reminded him that he was the one who gave the game orders.

And he was amused by a phrase that Simeone recited in his early days as Atlético coach: "I'll be crazy, but I'm still alive from my heart."

As a living legend of Atlético, Simeone has on occasion hinted at the vertigo caused by feeling responsible for the happiness or unhappiness of the red and white fans.

Having returned the club to the first line of the world football showcase with two league titles, two Europa Leagues, two European Super Cups and one from Spain, one Copa del Rey and two lost Champions League finals has totemized

before the mattress social mass.

She is also referred to in the letter as fundamental to the team's success at a time of civil war in the stands of the Metropolitan.

The silences during the home games this season and the division of opinions in the stands around his figure worry him.

Not because of him, who is aware that a large majority of Atlético fans still support him, but because the team generally feeds off the biorhythms given off by the stands.

In the last match played at the Metropolitano against Athletic, Simeone was seen disapproving of the social fracture, shaking his head when one part of the fans whistled at the other.

As a rojiblanco symbol, Simeone feels the responsibility of amassing wills.

In his last appearances before the press he has not stopped requesting social peace and union, and in the letter to Aragonés he has once again insisted on it.

“Luis, my philosophy on the four legs (fans, leaders,

In the final paragraph, El Cholo already dares to address Aragonés on a first-name basis.

"I know that Atleti was your life and you know that Atleti is also mine, that's why I didn't want this moment to go unnoticed, because I know that today only you can understand me."

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