Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone has sent out his Christmas message to Colchonero members with a surprising figure at the heart of his sentiment.
A signed message was sent out to Atletico members which reads, ‘Success is not final, failure is not fatal, it is the courage to continue that counts. Happy Holidays.’
It’s a quote that was popularised by former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who is highly controversial figure. As Diario AS report, it is not the first time that El Cholo has called on an historical figure for his Christmas message, using another of Churchill’s phrases (“A pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity; An optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty”) in 2018, while also recalling Albert Einstein last year (“First, out of clutter find simplicity. Second from discord make harmony. Third, in the middle of difficulty lies opportunity”).
Churchill is celebrated as a hero in England, and is credited with winning World War 2 in Great Britain, but also a history of violent and inhumane treatment in Ireland and India, where millions starved at his instruction. He has also described non-white people as an inferior race. What perhaps is most surprising is the fact that Argentina, Simeone’s native land, have vicious rivalry with England and Great Britain due to the Falklands war too.
It should be stated that there is no confirmation that Simeone knows these are quotes from Churchill, nor does it mean that he endorses him. Nevertheless, it could raise a few eyebrows outside of Spain.
