Diego Simeone is set to sign a new contract at Atletico Madrid that will reportedly see him remain contracted to the club until the summer of 2027.
The 53-year-old, nicknamed ‘El Cholo’, was first appointed Atletico boss in December 2011 after a run of just three victories in 13 matches in La Liga as they sat in the middle-of-the-table. By the end of that season they had finished fifth in the league and won the UEFA Europa League.
Simeone is nearing his 12-year anniversary as the Atletico coach and in that period the club have won two league titles as well as a Copa del Rey and the Supercopa de Espana. They have also won two UEFA Europa League trophies and two UEFA Super Cups, whilst also reaching the final of the UEFA Champions League twice in three seasons in the mid-2010’s.
It had appeared likely that Simeone would depart the club this previous summer but Los Rojiblancos’ form was much-improved after the 2022 FIFA World Cup with performances and results getting better in line with an evolution in their style of play to becoming a little more proactive.
Simeone, who also won La Liga with Atletico as a player in 1996, began his managerial career with Racing Club in 2006, where he finished his playing career. He then coached Estudiantes, River Plate, San Lorenzo and Catania before returning to Racing in 2011, ahead of moving back to the Spanish capital later that year.
The two-time Copa America winner with Argentina has also won a Copa del Rey as a player with Atletico, a UEFA Cup with Internazionale and a league title, Coppa Italia, Supercoppa Italiana and UEFA Super Cup with Lazio.
As a manager, he won the 2006 Torneo Apertura in the Argentina Primera Division with Estudiantes as well as the 2008 Torneo Clausura with River Plate.
Atletico’s 2-1 win over Real Sociedad on Sunday continued their excellent start to the 2023/24 campaign, suffering just one loss in their opening ten matches of the season across all competitions so far.
