Home Sports THE EURO FILES: Draw opens up for Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid eight years after European final heartbreak, it could be Kylian Mbappe’s time to shine and Barcelona’s talent factory is still going strong

THE EURO FILES: Draw opens up for Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid eight years after European final heartbreak, it could be Kylian Mbappe’s time to shine and Barcelona’s talent factory is still going strong

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Diego Simeone has a whole closet full of black suits and he won't worry about getting one of them dirty

When Atlético Madrid coach Diego Simeone celebrated his team’s epic victory over Inter Milan on Wednesday night, he had mud stains on the knees of his pants.

He won’t have to pay the dry cleaning bill before Sunday’s weekend game against Barcelona because, as revealed in the six-part Amazon documentary made about him in 2022, he has an entire wardrobe full of identical black suits.

He is incredibly superstitious and no one would oppose him ensuring he puts the clean suit back on from Wednesday for the remainder of a Champions League competition that has now opened up very wide for him to reach the final.

The man in black has been the highest-paid coach in Europe for most of his 12 years at Atlético. The argument that he is not worth it has always stumbled over the same rock: he earns the club much more than they have to pay him.

Atlético, defeated in the 2016 Champions League final, has won 81 European Cup games and 50 of them have been under Simeone. Only three managers have won more European Cup games at the same club: Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United (102), Arsene Wenger at Arsenal (83) and Pep Guardiola at Manchester City (56).

Diego Simeone has a whole closet full of black suits and he won't worry about getting one of them dirty

Diego Simeone has a whole closet full of black suits and he won’t worry about getting one of them dirty

There were mud stains on the coach's pants at the end of his team's Champions League victory over Inter Milan.

There were mud stains on the coach's pants at the end of his team's Champions League victory over Inter Milan.

There were mud stains on the coach’s pants at the end of his team’s Champions League victory over Inter Milan.

Atletico Madrid now have another chance at European glory, eight years after their Champions League final heartbreak.

Atletico Madrid now have another chance at European glory, eight years after their Champions League final heartbreak.

Atletico Madrid now have another chance at European glory, eight years after their Champions League final heartbreak.

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The victory over Inter earned Atlético another €10 million and unless his team loses both quarter-final games against Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona wins both quarter-final games against PSG, he will be the Atlético and not Barça who plays in the Club 2025. World Cup, which contributes another 50 million euros to Atlético.

You may not like their football (although the old ‘score and defend’ style is no more) and their occasional crotch-grabbing goal celebrations may offend some. But his achievements at Atlético cannot be questioned.

He was also right to complain for so long about the away goals rule which, had it not been removed, would have seen his team defeated on Wednesday.

That victory on penalties is right up there with his greatest successes. And perhaps the genesis came four days earlier, when his team lost 2-0 to third-place Cádiz, which had not won in its previous 23 games.

The penalty shootout victory is up there with some of the Argentinian's best victories as a coach.

The penalty shootout victory is up there with some of the Argentinian's best victories as a coach.

The penalty shootout victory is up there with some of the Argentinian’s best victories as a coach.

That defeat placed Simeone in his preferred territory: if before no one gave his team many opportunities, because they were playing against an Inter team that had won 12 of 12 in 2024, after the defeat the cause was declared desperate.

No one has mastered the art of utilizing underdog status better, and Atlético produced a phoenix from the ashes performance.

Their captain Koke, 32, who has been mediocre for much of the season, ran 17.5 kilometers and assisted both goals. Antoine Griezmann returned after missing three games through injury and scored the first goal, and substitute Memphis Depay scored his first Champions League goal in four years.

Simeone was prostrate in his technical area when Atlético missed a chance at the end of the 90 minutes. But you won’t be able to hold it for long!

No one has mastered the art of taking advantage of the underdog status better than the Atlético coach.

No one has mastered the art of taking advantage of the underdog status better than the Atlético coach.

No one has mastered the art of taking advantage of the underdog status better than the Atlético coach.

Is it Mbappé’s time to shine?

Euros Files’ bold prediction (okay, not so bold) that the Champions League will have a winner for the first time this season stands strong with three teams yet to triumph in the last eight and draw against each other.

That Luis Enrique takes his Paris Saint-Germain team to Barcelona, ​​​​along with Real Madrid-Manchester City, is the pick of the draw.

The Spanish coach won the Champions League in 2015 when he had the best player in the world at his disposal.

There were fights with Lionel Messi along the way, but they hugged in Berlin when Barça beat Juventus in the final. With Kylian Mbappé, Enrique once again has the best player in the world at his disposal and there have been some friction with him this season. Let’s see if it ends the same as in 2015.

Luis Enrique (right) once again has Kylian Mbappé (left), the best player in the world, at his disposal

Luis Enrique (right) once again has Kylian Mbappé (left), the best player in the world, at his disposal

Luis Enrique (right) once again has Kylian Mbappé (left), the best player in the world, at his disposal

The giveaway that everyone wanted – almost

Real Madrid did not want Manchester City in Friday’s draw and much less in the second leg away from the Santiago Bernabéu where they feel invincible.

But when Manchester City manager Txiki Begiristain joked on Spanish television ‘how annoying!’ (Bummer!) When asked about the prospect of having to face Real Madrid again, he perfectly illustrated that they didn’t want the Spanish either.

The disadvantage for City is that Madrid can rest the weekend before the first leg, as there are no league games due to the Spanish Cup final. On the positive side for Pep Guardiola’s team, if Vinicius, Jude Bellingham, Eduardo Camavinga or Aurelien Tchouameni receive a yellow card in that first match, they will miss the second leg.

Manchester City-Real Madrid seems like a lucrative tie, but neither of them wants to face each other

Manchester City-Real Madrid seems like a lucrative tie, but neither of them wants to face each other

Manchester City-Real Madrid seems like a lucrative tie, but neither of them wants to face each other

Barça’s talent factory remains strong

Iker Casillas tells the story of how he was sitting at his school desk in 1997, when he was 16 years old, when some Real Madrid managers knocked on the classroom door.

They needed him to fly to Norway, where the club had a goalkeeping crisis due to injuries to Bodo Illgner and Santi Cañizares.

Casillas sat on the bench as Madrid lost 2-0 to Rosenborg.

Barcelona had a 16-year-old on the field Tuesday night when Lamine Yamal starred in the win over Napoli.

His young teammate Pau Cubarsi is not much older.

The rise of 16-year-old Lamine Yamal has been proof that Barcelona's youth academy has not faltered

The rise of 16-year-old Lamine Yamal has been proof that Barcelona's youth academy has not faltered

The rise of 16-year-old Lamine Yamal has been proof that Barcelona’s youth academy has not faltered

Defender Pau Cubarsi, 17, was player of the match in his Champions League debut in midweek.

Defender Pau Cubarsi, 17, was player of the match in his Champions League debut in midweek.

Defender Pau Cubarsi, 17, was player of the match in his Champions League debut in midweek.

The centre-back turned 17 in January and produced a man-of-the-match performance in what was his Champions League debut.

Cubarsi coached Víctor Osimhen for 90 minutes and three days later he was called up to the Spanish team for the first time.

When Barcelona hit financial rock bottom, they banned staff from printing in color, closed their club’s television channel, rented out the Camp Nou field for stag parties, among other desperate measures; His detractors were quick to say ‘where is your famous La Masia quarry now?’

Ultimately, however, their ability to produce brilliant young people has been the one thing that has never wavered. Thanks to the children, for the first time in four years they are again among the eight best in Europe.

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