Discontent returns to Diego Simeone's Atletico ahead of Madrid derby

The banner behind the goal at the south end of the Santiago Bernabeu stadium read: “Wanted: A worthwhile rival to make a decent derby.”

The jibe was aimed at Atletico Madrid and on that November day 12 years ago, it felt especially cruel. Real Madrid were beating their neighbours 4-1. The banner spoke a truth. At that stage, Atletico had to rewind all the way back to the previous century to locate a Liga derby against Real where their opponents had finished as the losing team.

A month after the banner was brought into the Bernabeu, its collage pieces reassembled by giggling Madridistas once they had taken their seats, Atletico Madrid sacked a head coach for the 15th time in a dozen years and brought in their ex-player Diego Simeone. He ended his first full season in charge with a derby win over Real Madrid at the Bernabeu that also happened to be the Spanish Cup final.

Since then Atletico have barely looked backed. Barely, because although the biggest Madrid derbies of Simeone’s long era as the most transformative figure in Atletico’s modern history were lost, the fact that they were both Champions League finals – Real won in extra-time, having trailed for most of the 90 minutes in 2014 in Lisbon; Real were victors on penalties in Milan in 2016 – speaks to how a flakey club, unworthy of sharing the same heavyweight space with Real Madrid, have under Simeone joined Europe’s superclub circle. There have been two Liga titles, in 2014 and 2021, to break the duopoly on Real and Barcelona on that prize.

Yet as Simeone approaches his 40th Madrid derby as boss of Atletico, Real visiting the Metropolitano stadium on Sunday, the second club of the Spanish capital are starting to hear cruel taunts again. And some are coming from a