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Atletico Madrid broke Barcelona and Real Madrid’s dominance on La Liga last seasonTill a year ago, whenever someone said Madrid, we would think of Real Madrid. However, the fact that it is no longer the case is testament to the work done by Diego Simeone at La Liga Champions Atletico Madrid.He has brought them to the fore of Spanish and European football, having won the league and losing the Champions League courtesy of an injury-time equalizer by Sergio Ramos. Real Madrid went on to claim La Decima by a scoreline that flattered them.Atletico Madrid have started this season well and despite losing some of their key players are challenging at the top once again. Simeone has shown that his team are not going to be denied glory by the monetary power of Barcelona and Real Madrid.Here are 5 things you might not know about Atletico:Published originally on Weloba.com
#5 Arda Turan - The Turkish Beckham
In Turkey, Arda Turan is called ‘The Turkish Beckham’. David Beckham was the football icon for England due to his celebrity status, looks and football skills. Arda Turan is considered a hero back in Turkey and also in Madrid with the Atletico supporters.
Just like Beckham’s wife, Victoria Beckham, Arda’s former wife, Sinem Kobal, is popular too as she is an actress back in Turkey.
Arda even appeared in a movie called, “The governing woman 2”. Take a look at his acting skills below:
#4 Antoine Griezmann forced to sing song
Atletico Madrid signed Antoine Griezmann from Real Sociedad for a reported €30 million in the summer. The attacker has made a sensational start to his Atletico career having already scored 11 goals in 24 appearances in all competitions for Los Colchoneros.
Shockingly, he was asked to exercise his vocal chords when he was called up for his national side, France, for the first time. As a practical joke and part of the initiation ceremony, Griezmann sang the famous Spanish song, ‘La Bamba’ .
Here is the original song, which is No. 354 on Rolling Stones’ list of Greatest Songs of All Time:
#3 Raul Jimenez is a Real Madrid fan
Striker Raul Jimenez was bought by Atletico this summer from Spanish club Almeria. The 23-year-old Mexican has seen his chances limited in the Atletico shirt with the signing of Mario Mandzukic and the second coming of Fernando Torres.
However, what would not please the Atletico faithful is his staunch support for rivals Real Madrid.
The Mexican has been a vocal supporter of Los Blancos on the social networking site Twitter. If that is the reason for the young player's intermittent appearances with Atletico is a topic for another day.
Here are a few of his tweets:
#2 Diego Godin sold for $37
Uruguayan and Atletico Madrid defender Diego Godin had a sensational season as his Atletico side won La Liga and reached the finals of the Champions League. He was arguably one of the best defenders of last season and plenty of eyebrows were raised when he wasn’t included in the recently announced FIFPro World XI instead of £50 million man David Luiz.
However, turn back the clock to when the 28-year-old was a teenager and Godin was playing for Defensor Sporting in his home country, Uruguay. As a 17-year-old, Godin was bought by another Uruguayan club, Club Atlético Cerro, from Sporting for a paltry sum of $37!
Don’t believe us? Here is the proof:
#1 El Nino - The boy who was destined to play for Atletico
Fernando Torres was born in an Atletico supporting family. His grandfather is a hardcore Atletico fan who, according to Fernando, would prefer to die before having a Real Madrid badge at home.
The first thing Torres did after playing his first match in the red and white at age 10 was calling his grandfather after the match. Sadly, his grandfather passed away before seeing Torres make his debut for the senior team and captain the team he so passionately supported.
Torres made a sensational return to Atletico after leaving the club almost 8 years ago. He joined them from AC Milan, after becoming a star at Liverpool and spending time at Chelsea. In his third match for his boyhood club, he scored two goals against rivals Real Madrid to knock the Champions League winners out of the Copa Del Rey.
