Atlético Madrid’s Results and Diego Simeone’s Rhetoric – What They Teach Us about Suffering, Resilience and Hope

There’s a common phenomenon experienced by Atlético Madrid fans this season: Be outplayed, be dominated, concede, feel the weight of an inevitable loss on the horizon, and then boom ... Atleti wins. The doubts surrounding an impending doom evaporate and the euphoria of a successful smash-and-grab begins to permeate.

Snatching victory from the jaws of defeat always feels different, it feels special, because it is rare. Yet in the particular case of Atlético Madrid this season, the feeling of an unfolding miracle remains despite it happening so many times now that it just cannot be uniquely fortuitous. 

Alexander Sørloth: The Norwegian Sharpshooter Headed for Atlético Madrid

In times of tumultuous chaos, we humans are prone to losing perspective and losing hope, except for a visionary few. In the recent UEFA Champions League matchup vs. Bayer Leverkusen, tumultuous chaos was certainly experienced. On the stroke of half-time, Atleti found themselves down by one man, down by one goal and down by almost every metric imaginable – passes completed, passes into the opponent penalty area, shots on target etc.