The afternoon in which Koke rejected Barcelona to be Xavi's heir

In these radiant days in which Koke (Madrid, 1992) is seen enjoying himself like a child and, also, before the visit of this Saturday from Barça, it is convenient to remember something that happened six years ago and could have changed everything.

Not a week ago Atlético had lost the Champions League final in Lisbon (2014), when a call to his mobile altered the peace that Koke was trying to find amid the harshness.

Barça was determined to pay his clause, which then amounted to 60 thousand

lions of euros, to become the successor of

, in the twilight of his career.

As it is.

The salary would not be a problem.

Your response to

, who had been in the position as interim for a few months, after resigning in January

Due to legal problems, he was brief: "I have to think about it." Almost at the same time, Barça contacted

, CEO of Atlético, to announce his intentions.

And that frantic afternoon, on the eve of

called the rojiblanco to play the World Cup in Brazil, Koke ended up declining the offer of the Barça team, which would later be in the hands of

, today coach It was a story as fleeting as it is intense.

The fire, with the League title and the disappointment by the Champions of the present body, was suffocated with a promise of renewal that would arrive a month later and one of the highest salaries (today he earns slightly more than six million net), within that template.

The now Atlético captain, after discussing it with his family and seeing with good eyes the option of being the flag of the club of his life, settled the matter.

That May 29, 2014, Koke was 22 years old and a temptation on the table that some colleagues, such as

or

, they would be unable to reject in the future.

Take off after quarantine

Life has changed for everyone.

And yet Barça still has not found a successor for Xavi.

This Saturday, Koke, with his self-esteem and football through the roof, after showing off in the national team the great guy he already showed with Atlético, will be the compass.

Lying in the midfield, he is responsible for a good part of that mood and that fresh offensive style that accompanies the boys of

Simeone

.

“Koke is extremely important for his tactical ability and for understanding the team's needs before his own.

He has grown a lot since the quarantine and has returned with a speed and a more dynamic pace, “his coach praised him on Friday.

I'm not bad at being a father, but I've been a footballer all my life.

It's easier to play soccer than to be a dad

Koke

A year ago, while anxiously awaiting the arrival of little Leo, a part of the Wanda's stands waved him off the field between whistles.

Today Leo is already thinking about walking, but his fans cannot enjoy their best version on the field.

“I'm not bad at being a father, but I've been a footballer all my life.

Since I was six I have been with a ball by my side.

It's easier to play football than to be a dad, ”Koke, captain since the summer of 2019, is sincere in a meeting with EL MUNDO. His flashes in El Sadar, Moscow or in the last episode, against Cádiz, have started a handful smiles at his coach, who has always had the desire to see him as the helm of his Atlético.

Next to

Saul

,

Thomas

(now at Arsenal), Torreira (with Covid) and Herrera (injured), has parked the band to take out the GPS in the center, where he likes to do it the most.

From there he has drawn 405 passes, the most, with a 90% effectiveness.

"Diego trusted me when I was about to leave (to Malaga, 2011) and he gave me that opportunity," he reviews.

His debut at the Camp Nou (2009)

Now it is the banner of a happy team, which has left that transition behind with football: «Last season was a bit of comings and goings.

Every time we are stabilizing more and we must continue like this.

Everyone has already taken on the responsibility they had on the pitch and if this team continues like this, it can do great things.

It was different from the others.

He gave an important balance to the team and reminded me of Xavi Hernández

Abel Resino

The first step, for example, is to beat Barça.

Something that Atlético de Simeone has never achieved in LaLiga.

The Barça team welcomed him to the elite on a dark night in September 2009, at the Camp Nou, when he was only 17 years old.

«It was different from the rest.

He gave an important balance to the team and reminded me a lot of Xavi.

It is capable of adapting to any position of the spinal cord ”, he describes it

Abel Resino

, the coach who made him debut in the midst of the shipwreck (5-2). Kokinho (as he is called in the dressing room) has returned to the national team after two years away, wearing the captain's armband in the historic exhibition against Germany.

And in three games he has amazed the coaching staff, convinced that right now it is essential.

Since he returned from his last injury in February, Atlético have not lost a game in LaLiga and the streak, the best in its history, amounts to 23 games.

This Saturday he will reach 468 games and until 2024, when his contract expires, he has time to catch

Adelardo

(550).

His numbers: 45 goals and 103 assists.

Whoever wants to sign him will not only have to pay his clause (150 million) but also seduce him.

And that, as Barcelona well knows, is not easy at all.

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