Since Diego Simeone arrived as coach in late 2011, Atletico Madrid have been a club on a mission.
In fact, in every full season the Argentine has been at the helm, Atletico have not finished outside the top three of La Liga – being crowned champions twice, winning the Copa del Rey in 2013 and reaching two Champions League finals.
They have also won the Europa League and UEFA Super Cup twice each under his stewardship.
Given that record in mind then, it will hardly come as a surprise that in selecting my top five players to have ever played for the club, most of them are figures who have produced La Liga highlights galore over the past decade.
The stars who helped defy the La Liga betting odds to overcome the challenge of city rivals Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Covid has ensured clubs have had to deal with not just a footballing but a financial reality, yet that has made the likes of Atletico’s success even more impressive.
So with the start of the new season less than a month away and transfer speculation bursting into life, let’s salute the top five players to have starred for Los Rojiblancos, according to this SBOTOP observer.
Antoine Griezmann
No list would be complete without this Frenchman – even though he was not a part of either of their La Liga winning sides (2014 and 2021) – who broke the hearts of Atletico fans when he left the club a few years ago.
In 2005, while on trial with Montpellier, Griezmann played in a friendly match against the youth academy of Paris Saint-Germain in Paris and impressed several clubs, particularly Real Sociedad, whose scouts were present.
Once Atletico signed him from Sociedad in July 2014, Griezmann became a globally recognized star.
He ended up playing 257 games, netting 133 goals to make him the fifth-highest scorer in their history.
Among the milestones, in April 2017 he became the second Frenchman after Karim Benzema to score 100 La Liga goals; scored six goals to help Atletico win the Europa League in 2018 and played a key role in the club’s Super Cup, and Supercopa successes.
Diego Simeone
It’s easy to forget that Simeone starred as a player for the club before his achievements with them as a manager.
Signed from Sevilla, Simeone first made his name for Atlético as a tough-tackling, combative midfielder, winning both La Liga and the Copa del Rey in 1996 before leaving for Inter Milan in 1997.
Simeone returned in 2003 for a brief second spell at the club, spending two years before departing once more. Of course, his managerial tenure for Los Rojiblancos has superseded everything else and that combination earns him a place on my list.
Luis Aragones
Another lauded player and manager.
Before guiding Spain to Euro 2008 success, Aragones was a successful centre-midfielder for Atletico, helping them to two Copa del Rey successes and three La Liga titles during a memorable decade.
His importance in the 1970 La Liga glory was emphasised when he was joint-top scorer (as a midfielder). Indeed, his legacy speaks for itself as the all-time top scorer with 172 goals for the club.
Fernando Torres
Torres started his career with Atletico and came into the first team via the youth system.
A pacy striker with excellent vision and technical skills, he found the net 83 times in his first six years at the club, helping them gain promotion back to the Spanish top flight in 2002.
He returned to his boyhood club in 2015, first on a loan deal from Italian side AC Milan, and then on a permanent basis in the summer of 2016. While his impact was not as profound as it had been initially, he did win the Europa League in 2018.
Overall, his 121 goals places him in the top-six of their all-time goal scorers.
Diego Godin
Leadership, positioning, composure, Godin’s place in Atletico history is long assured. He was pivotal in two Atletico Europa League successes and scored the goal that secured the 2014 La Liga title in a 1-1 draw at Barcelona.
The Uruguayan simply epitomised the grit and dogged defending that was a mainstay of Atlético’s effective gameplay under Simeone; the foundation upon which so much of Atletico’s success has been built this past decade.
After his move from Villarreal in 2010, he blossomed into one of the best centre-backs in world football.
But for a last-gasp equaliser from Real Madrid, his goal would also have secured Atletico victory in the 2014 Champions League Final.
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