Go Unlimited with Magzter GOLD
Get unlimited access to 10,000+ magazines, newspapers and Premium stories for just
The Other Noisy Neighbors
Eight by Eight
|Fall 2016
Manchester United aren’t the only team dealing with a nearby nuisance. Just ask Real Madrid about Atlético.
“Like a death.”
That’s how Diego Simeone described Atlético Madrid’s 2016 Champions League final loss to Real Madrid on penalties. Losing a second final to their neighbors in three years cut deeply. “After any death you must have a period of mourning,” the Argentine said, heading into 2016–17. “But that period is now over.”
Simply being in a position to reach the final of football’s greatest club competition, while simultaneously competing to win Spain’s La Liga against Real Madrid and Barcelona, was an incredible achievement. Since returning to Atlético’s aging Calderón in 2011, Simeone has done what many considered impossible: He has broken Spain’s Barcelona-Real Madrid duopoly.
La Liga was dismissed as being like the Scottish League in the sun—an unfavorable comparison with Celtic and Rangers’ dominance before Rangers imploded. When Simeone—a 1996 double winner when Atlético had last won a trophy—arrived, the gap between Barcelona in second and Valencia in third was 30 points. In the previous two seasons, the gap between second and third was 25 and 21 points.
This story is from the Fall 2016 edition of Eight by Eight.
Subscribe to Magzter GOLD to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 10,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
MORE STORIES FROM Eight by Eight
Eight by Eight
Darlington Nagbe: The Enigma
Darlington Nagbe could be the best player on the U.S. men's national team. Does he want to be?
15 mins
Winter 2015
Eight by Eight
Abandon All Hope
The Cowardly And Hypocritical U.s. Soccer Federation Might As Well Have Taken Hope Solo Out Back And Shot Her In The Head.
10 mins
Spring 2017
Eight by Eight
The Right Foot of God
Before Maradona, Argentina worshipped Omar Corbatta, a genius on the pitch and a disaster off it.
7 mins
Fall 2016
Eight by Eight
The Other Noisy Neighbors
Manchester United aren’t the only team dealing with a nearby nuisance. Just ask Real Madrid about Atlético.
3 mins
Fall 2016
Eight by Eight
The Triumph of the Collective
Leicester Cityweren’t Supposed to win the Premier League Last Season, but their Tight-knit Squad outperformed the Richer Sides. Can they do it again?
6 mins
Fall 2016
Eight by Eight
Cult of One
Zlatan Ibrahimovic Football’s most and least important player, enters his Final act.
13 mins
Fall 2016
Eight by Eight
Wilshere
Is it too late to believe in Jack Wilshere?
3 mins
Fall 2016
Eight by Eight
Zidane
Part Poet, Part Tyrant, Zidane Has Always Made Power Look Beautiful.
14 mins
Spring 2017
Eight by Eight
La Vidal Loco
Arturo Vidal Is Infamous For His Booze, Brawls, And Boorish Behavior, But Bayern Munich Have Another Name For Him: Winner.
7 mins
Spring 2017
Eight by Eight
Survival Of The Fattest
The greed of the top teams is killing the Champions League. It’s times like this when the world looks for a super league.
12 mins
Spring 2017
Translate
Change font size