Khaberni - In a scene that stole the spotlight from the highly anticipated summit between Atletico Madrid and Barcelona in the quarterfinals first leg of the Champions League, Argentine coach Diego Simeone used the press conference to publicly and historically bid farewell to his top scorer Antoine Griezmann, who officially announced his departure to the American league (Orlando club) at the end of the season.
Before the questions began, “El Cholo” directly addressed Griezmann (35 years old), saying: "I want to thank you for your work, humility, and exemplary behavior, which is a model for children in a society that needs people like you."
He added with deep emotion: "You are a great player, but I also consider you a friend.. I love you very much."
Simeone's speech was not devoid of his characteristic strictness mixed with humor, where he continued: "We have the Copa del Rey final, and 5 other matches in the Champions... enjoy them, but remember, I am still your coach, and if you don’t run tomorrow, you will be taken off the field!"
For his part, the historic top scorer for "Los Rojiblancos" (211 goals) expressed his pride in playing under Simeone's leadership, saying: "It was an honor for me.. I hope people remember me as someone who did his best for the team and scored goals occasionally."
Simeone analyzes the Camp Nou encounter
Regarding the fifth encounter with Barcelona this season, and days after the loss in "La Liga" (1-2), Simeone said: "Barcelona is a team that attacks perfectly, and their calculations are precise, if they concede one goal, they score three.. We are going to Camp Nou to try to hurt them and exploit their defensive weaknesses."
