Diego Simeone stresses he never said he was leaving Atletico Madrid after the Champions League Final but ‘needed time to think.’
Cholo appeared to question his future at Vicente Calderon following a second defeat in three years to Real Madrid in the showpiece, but has told an interview that he would have found it impossible to quit Los Colchoneros.
“I never said I was leaving. I said I needed to think, and that can be a lot of situations. For example, the energy with which I have to present myself in front of the same lads who for four-and-a-half years have their lives for me. I have to drive them to demand the maximum to compete again after losing two finals. That’s not easy,” he told Espacio Reservado, AS reports.
“People are afraid to use the word ‘failure’ but it is synonymous with not achieving your goal. Possibly, it’s a strong word, but that’s the reality of what I felt. Reaching a final for the second time, with the effort of a lot of people and a lot of work and losing for the second time was a very hard blow.
“When you say it’s water under the bridge, it’s a lie. That hasn’t happened to me. Losing those two finals will be with me for life. No other final will compensate for those two defeats. When I said I had to think I was referring to how to deal with continuing at Atletico. I couldn’t have left peacefully.”
