There are two snapshots that Yannick Carrasco (Ixelles, Belgium, 1993) left recorded on the rojiblanca retina during its first stage. The first, in 2016, that passionate kiss to his girlfriend, in the band of San Siro , just push with the soul a center of Juanfran and tie the Champions League final against Madrid. At his stride, dribbles and lungs the Atlético grabbed that night that would end in a snap after the penalties.

The second, a year later, in October 2017, on the shady lawn of Baku where the anonymous Qarabag played. Simeone claimed him for the bench, despite the helplessness of Atlético against a lower team. That afternoon (0-0), the rojiblancos began to dig their grave in the group stage of the Champions League and the Belgian, who left the field at a snail's pace and with a visible mosque, caused a fracture with that costume and With the fans.

Two years ago (February 26), Yannick left China by surprise. The economic tightness of Atlético, to which the premature elimination of the Champions League blurred the accounts, and the sidereal salary that Dalian Yifang , then promoted by the millions of the Wanda group, put in front of his nose, eventually teleported him to the discreet league Asian He did it in the company of Nico Gaitán . So Simeone, who had personally convinced the Belgian after an intense telephone conversation in Monaco, in the summer of 2015, had no choice but to watch one of his jokers parade. "His eyes clouded when he saw the offer," they say in the offices of the Metropolitan.

And, by surprise, just as he left, Carrasco returned. In the last honk of the winter market, when Edinson Cavani had mutated in utopia, the midfielder broke into an emergency solution. It was not a '9', but I knew Simeone's libretto by heart and, at 26, I knew what I had to do to avoid repeating past mistakes. They say that his bad relationship with some of the heavyweights of that wardrobe accelerated his move to China. The fact is that Yannick was wearing the Atlético training shirt in the Bernabéu derby preview (February 1) without still signing his assignment contract. And he met again with LaLiga making a good mess with Sergio Ramos. "What I liked most about him was his desire to come," revealed his technician. Its assignment is only until June but, depending on its performance, it could lead to a transfer.

Just an hour on the grass

In the month he has been in Madrid, Carrasco has played just over an hour (63 minutes), divided into three games. Last week, in front of Villarreal and Liverpool , he didn't even step on the grass. «It will bring freshness and legs for the end of the season. The way he works is no secret to him, ”some of his former colleagues recognized as soon as he announced his return.

This Sunday, with the permission of Simeone, will be one of the headlines against Espanyol. A sensation that I did not experience since that Atlético-Valencia (February 4, 2018). Although second parts were not always good, as happened with Diego Ribas or even with Diego Costa , Carrasco (127 games and 23 goals) wants to continue the story he left half. Like Gabi , Torres or Filipe Luis , saving the distances. "He looks more focused and mature," they constantly repeat in the club. What is certain is that your coach will have a good bullet for this season finale.

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