Diego Simeone
Atletico Madrid boss, Diego Simeone, has seen off competition from the likes of Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho to be declared Coach of the Decade.
The fiery Argentine has this week had the honour bestowed on him by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) after the numbers had been crunched on his last 10 years in the Spanish capital.
Simeone has come out on top against the likes of Guardiola, Mourinho and his main rival Zinedine Zidane, despite having just a league title to show for his time at Atletico so far.
The 50-year-old has transformed them into a European powerhouse during his tenure, since transitioning from player to manager and bringing silverware to the club.
In a statement, the IFFHS noted, “Simeone realized a great performance with his club, Atletico Madrid, in this decade: 1 LaLiga title, 1 Copa del Rey, 1 Super Copa Espana, 2 UEFA Europa League titles, 2 UEFA Super Cup titles and 2 times Runner-Up in UEFA Champions League Finals.
“His regularity and his power made the difference to win the Award of the Decade 2011-2020.”
During the last decade, Simeone has won fewer European titles than Zidane and not as many league honours as Guardiola, but has accrued enough points in the ranking system due to his consistency at the Atletico helm.
The overall results placed Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp second and third respectively, while Real Madrid’s Champions League maestro, Zidane, could only feature in seventh place; a spot behind Unai Emery.
The overall result was determined by every manager’s ranking each year between 2011 and 2020, with points assigned based on their yearly finishes.
As things currently stand, Simeone could finally be set to add to his La Liga title of 2012-14, with Atletico sitting proudly atop La Liga.
Atletico currently have a four-point lead at the top, with 41 points from 16 games played and have only lost once in this campaign.