Coraje y Corazón.
When Atlético were relegated at the start of the millennium, this phrase was at its truest. Despite the struggles, and playing at a lower level division, support never waned. It is said that attendance at the Vicente Calderón Stadium went up – not down! OK, maybe the parallels I drew to the Sens in the last article are a bit unconvincing. We can learn a thing or two!
Upon their return to La Liga, they began making their move towards respectability by qualifying for the Champions League and signing and developing stars such as Diego Forlán (also known as the best head of hair in soccer and one of my all time favourite players), Fernando Torres, Sergio Aguero, David De Gea, and of course, respectfully to Diego Simeone, our Cholo, Mista. Maybe Cholo is a name he has to earn… big shoes to fill.
Atlético won a major continental trophy in 2010, triumphing in the Europa League; their first European title. In 2011, Simeone, their former captain, took over as club manager, marking the beginning of an era of success both domestically and in Europe. The passion of this club is personified by Simeone and there is no better way to see that then from his sideline celebrations.
More club legends flourished and developed under Simeone, such as Falcao, Diego Godín, Koke, Diego Costa, Jan Oblak and Antoine Greizmann. More recently, the club has high hopes of continuing this assembly line with João Félix, Thomas Partey and Saúl. Simeone has guided the club to additional Europa League titles in 2012 and 2018 and won La Liga in 2014, becoming the first team since the 2003-04 campaign to win the league other than notorious trophy hogs, Real Madrid and Barcelona. They also finished second in 2018 and 2019.
In heartbreaking fashion, consistent with their history, Atlético Madrid lost in the Champions League finals in 2014 and 2016, on both occasions, to their shadow, Real Madrid. The latter final was lost in penalties, a game they deserved to win. More recently, they just suffered a tough 2-1 loss to RB Leipzig in this year’s edition of the competition, after knocking out defending champions, Liverpool in the round of 16.
From the outside, Atlético seem like they continue to be in the shadows of bigger clubs in Europe and even more specifically to Real Madrid and Barcelona. But again, Coraje y Corazón – winning means nothing without a fight.
Atlético has become known for their world class player development, defensive play and organization. Through their fight, they have become the third most successful team in Spain, winning two more La Liga trophies than former helicopter parents, Athletic Bilbao. Particularly, in the last decade, they have become one of Europe’s most successful and consistent clubs as they have cemented themselves among traditional powerhouses domestically in Madrid and Barcelona. There is no team that plays Atlético without it being a brawl.
Today the club has expanded its influence globally with ownership of Liga MX side, Atlético San Luis. Formerly, they owned Atlético Kolkata (though that relationship has terminated) and they have a partnership with Jamshadpur FC in the Indian Super League. Of course, now, they also own Atlético Ottawa. As soccer fans in this city, we know a thing about fighting for our club. We have loved and lost enough times, and hopefully this relationship is a sign of stability that will allow us to show our Courage and Heart | Courage et Coeur.