Atletico Madrid defensive legends Luis Perea (pictured centre, top) and Diego Godin (second from left) admitted they now both see themselves as fans of the club.
Godin is still playing for Los Rojiblancos after joining from Villarreal in 2010 and he spent two years as a teammate with Perea, who played at the club for eight years after a 2004 move from Boca Juniors.
“Neither of us joined the clubs as fans but what we experienced here has changed that,” the two are quoted as saying jointly in an interview with Marca.
“It has been due to the affection of the fans, who were always wonderful and that means a lot more than any title or trophy.”
The interview came about after former Villarreal defender Godin equalled the Colombian’s all-time non-Spaniard appearance record for Atleti.
Godin stated that ‘surpassing a close friend is an amazing honour’ while Perea stated he was ‘full of pride at passing the torch’ to the Uruguayan.
Both were then asked which was their opposition ground which held favourite memories and perhaps unsurprisingly, they both responded with the Camp Nou.
“The day we won La Liga is my most cherished moment at the club,” said Godin.
“On a personal level I have enjoyed better performances but the goal and the title were special moments.”
