If there is no tension, it is not a derby. If not, ask Xabi Alonso. The Gipuzkoan coach felt upset during the … semi-final of the Spanish Super Cup played in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) as a result of ‘Cholo’ Simeone’s comments towards Vinícius Jr. The duel between Atlético and Real Madrid, which ended with a 1-2 in favor of the meringues, was featured by the image of the Colchonero coach addressing the Brazilian in a hesitant tone: “Florentino is going to throw you out, remember.”
The former manager of the Txuri-Urdin reserve team did not notice ‘Cholo’s’ comments at the time, but when Vinícius was replaced by Arda Güler, Xabi Alonso exploded against the rival coach. During the change, whistles are heard on the field and Simeone is in charge of reminding the Real Madrid ‘7’: “Listen, listen…”. That’s when the man from Tolosa approaches him and says, “You do your thing, damn it.”
In the post-match press conference, Alonso stressed that Simeone’s attitude did not sit well with him: “I try to be respectful of the rival players, and when I have heard what he said I like it even less.” Furthermore, the Guipuzcoan coach has defended that there are “limits” and that “not everything goes” on the field, blaming the Argentine for a lack of sportsmanship: “He is not an example of a good athlete.”
For his part, ‘Cholo’ explained after the match that he had “nothing to say”: “Since I was a player I have reiterated that what happens on the field stays on the field.” He has also acknowledged his “respect” for the Real Madrid players and has maintained that he was only “transferring” to Vinícius what is seen from the outside.
