Diego Simeone Reveals How His Youngest Son Played a Part in Him Taking Atletico Madrid Manager Job

Diego Simeone has revealed that his youngest son was influential in his decision to become the Atletico Madrid manager back in 2011.

The Argentine has done a magnificent job at the club, creating a incredible legacy which is crowned by his 2013/14 La Liga victory. 

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Simeone was speaking to the Coaches' Voice and was interviewed about his managerial career in Spain. This led him to speak about his decision to become the Atletico manager and what helped him make the choice. 

He revealed: "My youngest son, Giuliano, dipped his croissant in his milk, took a bite and looked up at me. I remember that day so well. It was the one that brought the phone call that changed everything.

"The call from Atletico Madrid, saying they wanted to speak to me. The one about me becoming head coach of the club.

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"At the time, I was in Mar del Plata - a beach town in Argentina - to spend a few days with Giuliano. He was just eight years old, and we were sitting in a bar with our croissants and coffee (for me, milk for him), when I told him: 'Look, a chance has come to go to Atletico Madrid and I don't know what to do.'

"Giuliano thought about it. He responded: 'Are you going to manage [Radamel] Falcao? Are you going to play against [Lionel] Messi? Against [Cristiano] Ronaldo?'

"The kid was saying all this to me. And I would say yes. And in between dipping the croissant in the milk, he said those words: 'Dad, if you do well, you won't come back.'

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"There are two sides to that, of course. On the one hand it's lucky, because I want to do well. But on the other hand it's unlucky, because I don't get to see my kids growing up.

"You know the way kids imagine things, when they are playing? I would do the same as an adult, playing at being a head coach. I used my team and pictured myself taking parts of training. I imagined the next match and planned out everything I needed.

"By the end of the day I'd be surrounded by sheets of paper, each one covered with drawings or notes. I liked to write everything down.

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"As a coach, the greatest passion you can have is for improving players. Of course, becoming champions is something we all want, but I think that the best 'championship' for a head coach is to see players like Koke, Lucas Hernandez, Angel Correa - lads who have come up from all the way down in the lower divisions - become professionals of a high standard."

Simeone was speaking just before the La Liga season gets underway this weekend, with Atletico Madrid starting the 2019/20 campaign with a home fixture against Getafe.