Open letter to Diego Simeone from a Premier League fan

Manager of the year Diego Simeone at the La Liga Awards.

Dear Cholo,

First and foremost, let me congratulate you for winning the ‘Best Manger’ award in the recent La Liga Awards and also for a highly successful 2013/14 season. It was a great season all round and a thrilling one to follow, with you taking club Club Atlético de Madrid to new heights in both Spanish and European club competitions. Felicitaciones,sir !

I remember watching the season finale of last season’s Liga BBVA, when all you needed was a point against Barcelona at the Nou Camp in order to clinch the title. Though the opposition looked intimidating, deep down inside I knew that it was going to be a certain deserving 44-year old from Buenos Aires who would go home smiling.

In a day where huge price tags, paychecks and sumptuous team sheets make it to the top, you proved that there is still hope for hardworking and homegrown talent. Every time I see you stand by the touchline, dressed ever-so well, looking sharp and focused driving your team on, I keep telling myself that Diego Pablo Simeone is a legend!

The 2013/14 season didn’t start very well for you, as you had to see one of the most prolific strikers in the form of Radamel Falcao leave the club. Not many would have thought you could make it all the way to the top. But as the season progressed, Atletico Madrid, usually known for languishing in the middle of the table, was now aiming for the ultimate prize itself. With 90 points from 38 games, you brought an end to the monopoly of Barcelona and Real Madrid by winning the league.

“Thank you to the mothers who gave birth to these Atléti players. Their sons have massive b**ls." You said after you guided Atletico to a 3-1 win against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Now, not many managers have the cheek to make a funny statement like that after winning against great the Special One himself.

They say the best way to fight fire is with fire. When Chelsea was to face Atlético in the Champions League semi-final, I had a feeling that it was going to be an encounter between two similar master tacticians trying to nullify each other out. People have a sense of skepticism towards what they would term ‘negative tactics’.

Chelsea’s trip to the Calderón in the first leg was described by many to be ‘uneventful’ and ‘boring’. It was much more than that to me. I started admiring you even more after you came out victorious in the tie. Touchline animations, antics, mind games, you were now deep in José Mourinho territory.

A manager is bound to be a foster child of the English media if he ever credits himself with a couple touchline bans. I know you have been there and done that and I’m also aware of the fact that England may not be the most hospitable place for you after what happened between you and David Beckham when Argentina played England back in 1998.

But all that is history now. You are currently one of the most brightest and sought after young managers in Europe. And there is no better golden stamp of approval for that fact than the Premier League. Arguably the best league in the world, the Premier League is a place where managers’ antics are given surreal importance.

With a La Liga title, a Champions League runner-up medal and a win against José Mourinho up your sleeve, I believe you have very little left to prove in Spain and that you have earned your ticket to the most exciting league in Europe.

Beyond all, being a Premier League fan and a huge admirer of yours, I would love to see you in the Barclays Premier League one day.

Yours,A Premier League fan

Edited by Staff Editor