Ranking the 5 greatest players coached by Diego Simeone

#3 Diego Costa

Diego Simeone (left) and Diego Costa (second left) on the Atletico Madrid bench

Diego Simeone and Diego Costa were a match made in heaven. The Brazil-born Spanish international was the perfect striker for the Argentinean manager's defence-minded approach.

The strong, hardworking and brutal Costa's physicality and constant harrowing of opposition centre-backs provided Atletico Madrid a solid outlet to hold the ball up and build counterattacks.

While his numbers didn't pop off the charts (83 goals and 36 assists in 216 games across two spells at the club), Costa's work rate off the ball and in deep positions was invaluable to Diego Simeone's side.

Currently a free agent, the striker has played a part in seven of the club's eight trophies under Simeone. His trophy haul consists of two La Liga titles, a Europa League crown, a Copa del Rey triumph and three UEFA Super Cups.

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#2 Antoine Griezmann

Antoine Griezmann celebrates a goal for Atletico Madrid.

Despite his tumultuous relationship with Rojiblancos fans, Antoine Griezmann arguably had the highest peak of any Atletico Madrid player under Diego Simeone so far. However, his highly publicised £108 million transfer to Barcelona left a bitter taste in the mouth of the club's supporters, despite his eventual return last summer, albeit on loan.

Signed from Real Sociedad for £48.5 million in 2014-15, the Frenchman quickly captured the hearts of Atletico fans by netting 22 league goals in his debut season. His displays culminated in third-place finishes in the 2016 and 2018 Ballon d'Or votes. Those remain the only instances where one of Simeone's players finished on the Ballon d'Or podium.

Griezmann has 141 goals and 53 assists from 276 appearances for the club. He is the second-highest goalscorer in their history, and is primed to surpass Luis Aragones' tally of 151 goals shortly.

The Frenchman has won a Europa League trophy, a Spanish Super Cup and a UEFA Super Cup, in addition to being named Atletico Madrid's Player of the Year in 2015-16. Griezmann is likely to go down in history as the club's all-time record scorer and one of its brightest stars.

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#1 Diego Godin

Diego Godin gets forward while Diego Simeone watches on.

As Atletico Madrid's most capped player, Koke would ideally walk onto any list of the club's best talents. However, as far as Diego Simeone's management is concerned, Uruguayan centre-back Diego Godin scaled higher peaks under the Argentine coach.

The defender made 389 appearances for the club, of which 359 came under Simeone. Tough in the tackle, excellent at winning aerial duels and blessed with a sharp reading of the game, Godin, with his aggressive yet clever approach, was the foundation of a quintessential Diego Simeone Atletico Madrid team.

Godin was handed the captain's armband by Simeone, and played a crucial role as the Rojiblancos reached two Champions League finals, only to fall short against Real Madrid on both occasions. At his peak, Godin was one of the most in-demand players in the world, and was hailed as arguably one of the best centre-backs in Europe.

Godin and Simeone won a La Liga crown, two Europa League trophies, a Copa del Rey, a Spanish Super Cup and two UEFA Super Cups together. He departed the club in 2019 after nine successful seasons in Madrid.