In 1994, Sione transferred to Atletico Madrid, where he unleashed his full energy at Estadio Vicente Calderón. It was at The Sheet Army that Sione reached the peak of his career.
This was also the last brief mont of glory for Atletico Madrid before they fell to Segunda Division.
In his second season at Atletico Madrid, the team achieved its first-ever double crown in history—the 9th La Liga championship and the 9th King’s Cup championship.
In the King’s Cup final, the team defeated Barcelona under Johan Cruyff.
It also beca the biggest topic of conversation for Atletico Madrid fans during those later subdued years.
Sione beca a "legend" at Atletico Madrid in his second season. His strong defense and control over the midfield helped the team achieve the double crown.
It was also the only ti in his entire career that he scored more than ten goals in a single season—a record of 12 goals.
Although Sione later played for Inter Milan, Lazio, and Argentine Racing Club,
having played for Atletico Madrid twice and overall for five seasons, it remained the longest ti he stayed with a team after joining the first team in his career.
It is worth ntioning that the second stint at Atletico Madrid was in 2004, the sa year Chen Zhong was recomnded by Juni Calafat to join Real Madrid Youth training in China; that year, Chen Zhong was rated as "a player for whom anything is possible."
Sione announced his retirent in February 2006, officially ending his 19-year professional football career.
By 2006, Chen Zhong had already swept through the youth team and was known as a "Monster," with everyone aware that this young man was about to join Castilla, just waiting for the chance to naturally enter the Real Madrid first team.
Only, no one expected it to happen so quickly.
In August 2007, Chen Zhong was included in the Real Madrid first-team roster. At that ti, Sione had been retired for less than a year, and he already had over a year of coaching experience.
In a sense, Diego Sione’s coaching career was far more "glorious" than his playing career, given that the sa year he retired, he beca the interim head coach of Argentine Racing Club. After completing the rest of the season with the team, he coached at La Plata University.
Then at the end of 2007, as Chen Zhong gradually secured his starting position in Real Madrid, Sione suddenly beca the head coach of Riverbed. Before being invited to join Atletico Madrid, he also coached San Lorenzo for a full season.
Fans who don’t follow the Argentine first division might not know what such an experience ans.
In the Argentine league, the title contenders.
Or the five major clubs, naly Boca Juniors, Riverbed, Argentine Independence, Racing, and San Lorenzo.
These five clubs garner nearly ninety percent of dostic fans’ support.
Among them, Boca Juniors and Riverbed could be said to be the "Reals Bars" of the A-League, and their derby is one of the world’s most intense and explosive. Watching their derby, you might think that playing football seems to be no longer the most important thing.
The most important thing is to beat the opponents in every way possible.
In every possible sense.
Red and yellow cards beco a warrior’s symbol, a badge of honor.
Sione’s coaching experience in the Argentine league, if translated to the Premier League, would be akin to starting as a coach for Arsenal, then taking over Manchester United, and finally having a stint at Liverpool.
Then Real Madrid sent an invitation to Sione, and Diego Sione left the rising star league to join what was essentially the world’s number one league, La Liga.
Before Diego Sione took over the team, it seed that Atletico Madrid was heading into a harsh winter.
The team was a financial wreck, the players were dispirited and listless, and so even feared they might once again fall to the lower leagues.
But Diego Sione was like a shot of adrenaline injected into Atletico Madrid.
This ga, though the team lost, the spirit they displayed satisfied many Atletico fans.
When facing an unbeatable opponent, attending fans had already prepared themselves to endure failure, but even in defeat, they hoped to see a team that would die standing rather than kneeling.
Diego Sione tightened his jaw in front of the cara. This short-haired, rugged man spoke: "When I ca here, I already realized what kind of test I would undergo."
"During my player career here, I succeeded; I hope my coaching career can succeed here too. We won the league championship and King’s Cup; we defeated Real Madrid and Barcelona."
"I wish to achieve the sa feat in my coaching career here."
"We lost this match."
"But, I want to promise the fans, in every future match, every player you see will fight with all their might, using every ans to struggle for victory."
"Anyone unwilling to fight doesn’t deserve to wear Atletico Madrid’s jersey."
"What I want are players who will fight and strive together with ."
"This is what I want to say; I will always stay at Atletico Madrid, one year, three years, five years, ten years, even twenty years. I have a grand plan."
"I will reshape the current Atletico Madrid into the team that I once rembered."
"This is why the club hired ."
"Because I once had success at Atletico Madrid."
"I have the genetic makeup of success at Atletico Madrid."
Diego Sione’s words resonated, taking him back to the ti when Atletico Madrid contacted him. He was still at Argentina’s "at grinder" battlefield, a mad battleground where players on the field spared no ans to obliterate the opponent.
And he also noticed how Atletico Madrid now seed like a feeble shadow of its forr self.
Atletico Madrid was no longer the iron-blooded troop he rembered.
The club managent’s goal was for him to bring back Atletico Madrid’s old genetic makeup.
For a club with a long history, a club’s DNA is sothing outsiders don’t understand but sothing fans strongly identify with.
Once you lose your DNA, there’s nothing much worth ntioning about the team.
Diego Sione’s manifesto stirred various reactions from other teams’ fans, but it energized Atletico Madrid’s fans and players. He didn’t even touch on the incident of Chen Zhong elbowing Diego Costa, as he saw it as a matter of letting others bleed next ti.
The team he would coach was destined not to be gentle.
Later on, people would discuss Diego Sione and his Atletico Madrid, saying his presence, and his team’s presence, elevated the defensive intensity of La Liga by several levels.
Diego Sione made no qualms about stating that if "Reals Bars" were righteousness, then he would be the big villain!
Mourinho listened to Diego Sione’s entire speech, and the expression of this renowned Portuguese coach was complex, for what Diego Sione intended to do bore so resemblance to what he did at Chelsea.
Yet it was different.
Frankly speaking, it was sowhat like the story of Lord Ferguson coaching Manchester United.
Ferguson’s first match coaching Manchester United also was a loss.
But many years later, he led Manchester United to success.
The new era of football had arrived.
The topic of money backing football was increasingly frequent, whether about players, coaches, or other issues, they would arise more often in this era.
And this man.
Diego Sione.
This overly young man.
Seems to be challenging the entire new era.
And such passion and charisma, or perhaps "brainwashing" ability.
Mourinho faced the cara and said: "As I said, this is just another ordinary victory."
Yet in his heart, he believed that he could achieve sothing significant.
Mourinho’s gaze flickered before he quickly refocused. He wasn’t simply undermining Atletico Madrid and Diego Sione; rather, aside from himself, when it ca to team history, player configuration, or coach reputation,
Barcelona, Milan.
Allegri, Mourinho
ssi, Ibrahimovic
These all demanded more of his attention, and all these matches were within this month.
Compared to these two matches, the many-years-awaited Derby win of Atletico Madrid was just an ordinary match, wasn’t it?
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