In Los Colchoneros’ past three LALIGA EA SPORTS victories, he has either scored – as he did against UD Las Palmas – or assisted – like he did against CD Leganés and RCD Mallorca. Now, the in-form winger is preparing to face his former team, Luis García Plaza’s Deportivo Alavés, the club where he developed so much as a person and a player while on loan there last season.
In the recent match against UD Las Palmas at the RIyadh Air Metropolitano, he scored a goal to create a very historic moment. Almost exactly 31 years after his father netted his first goal for Atlético de Madrid, Giuliano opened his account. It was on November 5th 1993 when Diego Simeone first scored for Los Colchoneros, and it was November 3rd 2024 when Giuliano Simeone did so.
No special treatment for Diego Simeone’s son
After he scored his first goal for Los Rojiblancos, Giuliano Simeone explained how significant a moment it was: “It was a very special goal, my first with this shirt and in front of our fans,” the player stated after the game, in which he chased down every possible ball, in addition to his goal. “I’m happy to help the team.”
Diego Simeone also spoke after that game and made it clear that his son isn’t earning minutes because of any family ties. “It’s no different because he’s my son, as I am looking at Giuliano as a footballer,” Diego Simeone explained. “Today, Giuliano did what he had to do. That’s why he is at Atlético de Madrid. He went to the Olympics and he did well and I, as a coach, saw that and thought he could help us. Since we made that decision to keep him here, he has been treated the same as any other player. Those who run more play more and those who run less play less. He’ll have good games and bad games, but he surely has what it takes.”
Deportivo Alavés gave him his first LALIGA EA SPORTS experience
Last season, the young Argentinian enjoyed his first season in LALIGA EA SPORTS, when he was on loan at Deportivo Alavés. He had previously stood out in LALIGA HYPERMOTION with Real Zaragoza, and then moved to the Basque side as they believed he could be a difference-maker. Unfortunately, the winger suffered a serious injury in pre-season and missed more than half of the campaign.
It was in a pre-season friendly against Burgos CF when Giuliano Simeone suffered a fractured fibula and a dislocated ankle, but he managed to return before the end of the season and play in 14 league matches for Deportivo Alavés, scoring one goal and providing two assists. His contributions in the final third of the season helped Luis García Plaza’s charges secure their place in the top flight. In fact, the Basque club would have welcomed him back on loan for another season, but Atlético de Madrid had other plans.
The Simeone family’s love for Atlético de Madrid
It’s interesting to note that back in 2011, when Diego Simeone received the phone call from Atlético de Madrid about the opportunity to become the coach of the team, he had a conversation with a then-eight-year-old Giuliano, the youngest of his sons, who was excited about the thought of his father coaching with and against the stars of LALIGA EA SPORTS.
Telling the story in an interview with The Coaches’ Voice, Diego Simeone recalled: “He was eight years old at the time and I took him to the bar on the corner. Over a croissant and coffee, I said to him ‘Look, I’ve got the chance to go to Atlético de Madrid and I don’t know what to do’. And he said to me ‘So does that mean you’re going to manage Radamel Falcao and coach against Lionel Messi, and against Cristiano Ronaldo?’ And I told him that this was true.”
Although Diego Simeone knew that making the move would give him less time to see the growth of his sons, all of whom pursued careers in football, he signed with Atlético de Madrid with the support of his entire family. And now, it has become a family affair.
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