How do you gauge success in a sport? Is it the number of titles and medals you collect? Or perhaps, the number of upsets you cause? Is surviving in the first division a success? Or is it taking the mickey of sides with larger budgets and irritating the established order?
If the last option is your favorite – you might just be Diego Simeone. A tough man with a brilliant playing career, Simeone is one hell of a coach. And his Atletico Madrid side are perhaps the best example of a squad molded in the image of their manager. Tenacious, a thorn in the backside to anyone who dares to think themselves superior and most importantly, this team will play themselves into the ground for the shirt.
In his short stint in charge of Atletico, El Cholo has taken his team to stratospheric heights. Winning five titles by upsetting the odds and coming within minutes of winning the Champions League as well – Atletico Madrid are surely among the biggest teams in European football at the moment. And still, doubts remain over their capability to cut it with the best.