"You know me and you know that my responsibility and my commitment are being the greatest of my life," Diego Simeone, the Atlético de Madrid coach, conveys to Luis Aragonés, whom he will surpass this Saturday as the coach with the most games in the league. history of the rojiblanco club, with 613, among "an enormous feeling of emotion, but, above all, of respect", as he explained in a letter on his social networks.
"I know that Atleti was your life and you know that Atleti is also mine, that's why I didn't want this moment to go unnoticed, because I know that today only you can understand me", concludes the Argentine coach in his letter addressed to the "dear and eternal Luis", who died in 2014.
"You know that I'm not much of these things, of showing feelings of this type in public, but today I want to do it. I want to do it to tell you that I begin this letter almost with tears in my eyes and an enormous feeling of emotion, but, above all , of respect", expresses Simeone.
"It is hard for me to believe that tomorrow I will exceed the number of games, 612, that we share today directing our beloved Atleti. It is a day that, for sure, I will never forget. As I will never forget that day that, chatting during our time together at Sevilla, You as a coach and I as a player, I told him that Atlético de Madrid wanted to sign me. His response was quick: "And what are you waiting for to go? Almost 29 years have passed since then, Luis, but even then I could feel that love and that passion that he had for this club and that, thanks to people like you, so many of us later inherited", he continued.
"Tomorrow I will sit again on that bench from which he gave us so much happiness and that today it is my turn to occupy. I think about it and it sounds unreal, but I tell him with pride that I feel very privileged to be able to continue walking his path, our path I wanted to tell you that during all these years I just tried to give my best," he added.
"You know me and you know that my responsibility and my commitment are being the greatest of my life. And that I do it and will continue to do it with the utmost enthusiasm and the greatest respect for this club and for all the athletic fans who continue to love me so much. giving. Because we are lucky to belong to a family, the athletic one, which by itself marks a way of life. My gratitude to them will never be enough," he added.
"During all this time I was very lucky, Luis. I was lucky to have always had players who have shown hunger, commitment, dedication and, above all, who have trusted and believed in our idea, who have followed us. We know, between you and me, that this is almost the most difficult thing to achieve in our profession," he continued.
"I am also lucky to have been able to have teammates by my side who have made me a better coach, you know how important it is to be able to count on a good coaching staff like the one who has always accompanied me. And all those people within our club who feel identified with our project and who enrich our work day by day", he transmitted.
"And, of course, none of this would have been possible without the determination and confidence of Miguel Ángel Gil (CEO of Atlético de Madrid), Enrique Cerezo (Chairman) and the rest of the leaders who accompany us today and support us. Luis , my philosophy on four legs is stronger than ever, because thanks to all of them we are here today", he explained.
"Dear and eternal Luis, the values of people like you, and those of so many others that this club has bequeathed to us, are what move us every day to continue competing and giving our all. I know that Atleti was your life and You know that Atleti is also mine, that's why I didn't want this moment to go unnoticed, because I know that today only you can understand me", concluded Simeone.
