Simeone celebrates his 700th match with Atlético de Madrid, one of longest managerial reigns in modern football

Rarely a manager holds on so long to a football club as Diego Pablo Simeone has done to Atlético de Madrid. The Argentinian manager has trained the Spanish club since December 2011. Last weekend, he reached 700 games with a victory against Alavés.

Since he joined, Simeone has managed to consolidate Atleti as the third Spanish football club in the European elite. They regularly play Champions League, reaching the final in two ocasions (2014 and 2016) as well as winning Europa League three times.

Simeone is a rara avis in modern European football. Now, the norm is to be sacked whenever things start to go south. Just yesterday, Leicester sacked his fourth manager in four years...

Simeone has been with Atleti in good and bad periods. Last seasons have not been the best in terms of results (their last LaLiga title was in 2021), but Simeone has confidently said "yes, I am staying" to a cheering crowd in Madrid, amid rumours of a replacement.

Some 'colchoneros' have never met an Atlético without Simeone, so now the prospect of replacing his is inconceivable. And the numbers are in his favour: out of 700 matches, they have won 413 and only lost 131.