Former Atletico Madrid player Diego Godin served as a special guest and participated in the fourth conference of the Club’s International Fans Union held in Cordoba last weekend. More than 80 fan groups were present. The Uruguayan was the protagonist of an interview with reporters, in which he reviewed his career at Atletico Madrid and also talked about the current situation of the team, especially regarding Giuliano Simeone.
■When Simeone took over Atletico Madrid, Giuliano was only ten years old. Whenever he came to Madrid to visit his father, he would run into the dressing room like a member of the team and the Atletico players would often make fun of him.
Godin said: "These experiences helped shape his character. Every time he came to visit his father, he liked to go into the locker room to make trouble with us and provoke us. Diego Costa, Miranda, and I would also participate... We put him in the trolley with equipment and pushed him away, throwing him into the winter cold with his clothes on. In the water bath... he cried and told his dad that we bullied him, and Simone told him, according to his words: "You deserve it, go back and play there." Then he ran back and deliberately provoked us like a child, just to let us continue to tease him. This is his character, he loves to fight, like fighting. "Giuliano flies with us, takes the bus, and eats with us. He especially likes it, and we also treat him as one of us. He is like our little brother. I am really happy to see someone who has been at Atletico Madrid since he was a child and now enters the first team. He never hides his emotions. It's to cheer for us. A player who is really passionate about the jersey can always give you a little more, and Giuliano is like that. He may miss goals, but he will always try his best."
Giuliano is now an Argentina international, and Godin responded to those who thought he "played because of his father."
Godin said: "What can I say? I don't know what kind of football they see. The reason why Julia Snooker can play is because he has earned his position completely based on his strength. He has done a lot of right things for the team, which is exactly what Atletico Madrid needs. All of us can see that he plays well. As long as his father is the coach, this doubt will always be with him. But I don't think he can enter the Argentine national team because he is Simeone's son. Scaloni is not a fool."