It all started with a call from

Miguel Ángel Gil

.

Or, rather, with the notice of the call that was going to change the history of Atlético de Madrid forever.

"They were two eternal hours,"

Diego Pablo Simeone

confessed this Wednesday about that day in December 2011, more than 11 years ago, when he received the offer to take the offer to Mar del Plata, where he was on vacation with his son. the reins of the club of which he was already a legend as a player.

From then to now, game by game, a thousand adventures, eight titles, two Champions League finals haggling to the future and what no one from rojiblanco, 613 games.

For this milestone, that of surpassing

Luis Aragonés

, Cholo received a precious and heartfelt tribute from the club in which he still has one more year on his contract.

Overcoming perhaps his most difficult season at the helm, soon expelled from Europe and with no options for any title, Atlético recalls his incredible recent past to gain strength for what is to come.

Because Simeone, his

Alex Ferguson

, who also recently overtook

Miguel Muñoz

as manager of the League with the most games for the same club, still appeals to "energy".

Simeone during the tribute act that Atlético gave him. Social networks

In the act, presented by

Vicente Vallés

in the Cívitas Metropolitano Auditorium, converted into a warm setting, with two sofas and all the titles that have featured throughout this period, Cholo was surrounded by all

his wife Carla and his daughters Francesca and Valentina

, by his son

Giuliano

, by his friends, by

Enrique Cerezo and Miguel Ángel Gil

, the current first team in full, legends of the entity and some of the players who exalted that era such as

Falcao, David Villa, Mario Hermoso or Juanfran

.

By videoconference they spoke pieces without which the journey cannot be understood, such as

Gabi

- "it has made me a better player and person",

Godín

-"you have left an indelible mark"-,

Joao Miranda

-"he is the most important figure in the history of Atlético-,

Filipe Luis

-"I love you very much",

Tiago

-"the best years of my life were with you",

Raúl García , Arda Turan, Adrián López and Fernando Torres

Paolo

Futre

closed it with a message that summed up all the emotion: "Luis Aragonés is happy for what you have achieved"

"When does the plane leave?" Simeone replied to Miguel Ángel that day.

Of those 613 games that will soon be many more, some unforgettable like those of "Chelsea or Barcelona", none, for Cholo, like the Champions League final lost in Milan against Real Madrid.

"You can't get any closer. The road was fantastic. But fate didn't want to give us that place," said the Argentine coach, who admitted feeling "lucky": "The players have followed me. The most difficult thing is to convince them to play in this way, with this style that represents Atlético".

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