Champions.How to make Bucharest look like the Metropolitan: "We trust Suárez to score, we play at home ..."
Between the Arena Nacional stadium and the Intercontinental Hotel there is barely a quarter of an hour by bus.
A simple route, only interrupted by a handful of traffic lights, on the way to the most important football venue in Romania.
There he plans the imminent Eurocup to make some of his stops.
Nine years ago, Atlético traveled the same path.
It was on May 9, 2012, without the cold that today dresses the Romanian capital, on the way to the first title under the command (and the mantra) of
Diego Pablo Simeone survives from that wardrobe
Koke
Then a 20-year-old boy who was fighting against his destiny and appeared in the final against Athletic (3-0) in the twilight, with the cup already in his pocket.
A small piece of that trophy also belongs to
Saul
, a 17-year-old boy in 2012, who had made his debut against Besiktas, in the round of 16, a couple of months earlier.
Today Koke is the captain and, also, the second player with the most matches in the centennial red and white history.
And Saul continues to fight and polish his service record despite adversity.
This Champions League duel, marked by the coronavirus, has nothing to do with that magical night.
Time does not forgive, although the warm memories remain intact. From a distance, some of those protagonists preserve a handful of mental pictures in color.
This is the case, for example, of
Filipe Luis
, who defends the colors of Flamengo.
«Before going out to the field, I usually go to the bathroom to fix the headband.
I remember seeing
Falcao
putting on a t-shirt with the motto
Believe and you'll see the glory of God
(Believe and you will see the glory of God).
I saw his face, tremendously concentrated, and I thought: 'That's it, he's going to score for sure.'
And it didn't take long for him to agree, "the Brazilian full-back tells EL MUNDO." When I went out onto the pitch, I saw a banner in the stands that read 'Proud'.
That took the pressure off me because I knew that reaching the final was already a reward for the fans.
Even if we lose, they will still be very proud.
It freed me a lot, the truth ", abounds in his memories, where that meeting with Simeone in his room emerges, on the eve of the duel against Athletic.
Or the longed-for revenge with a goal from his compatriot
Diego Ribas
, suspended in which he played (and lost) Werder Bremen, his team in 2009. Also the game to cards with
Assunçao
,
Pizzi
,
Silvio
or Diego himself, in his room at the central Intercontinental Hotel: "The feeling was that the world could end there."
Neither talk nor video of the rival
TO
Mario Suarez
, today a Rayo Vallecano footballer, has not forgotten that last talk from Simeone, the night before the game.
“We started to win the final at that moment.
He took us by lines, first, and then each of the headlines, to tell us what he wanted from each one.
He called us to his room, where he was also
Monkey Burgos
, and convinced us that we were going to win ", the midfielder reviews for this newspaper.
«Simeone knew very well
Bielsa
.
There was no talk or video about the rival, he left us alone.
He thinks that important duels belong to the player and we are the ones who must get into the duel in the way we want, "he abounds." Ugh, my memory is not very good, "he warns ahead.
Juanfran Torres placeholder image
, which now protects Sao Paulo's right flank, before looking back.
«When you have a player like Falcao, who is so decisive, the finals are played in a very different way.
That day he was excellent, he looked very motivated and had the recent experience of having played another with Porto, "he says.
«It was very special because after falling to him
Albacete
, with everyone so criticized, and a discreet season until Simeone landed, who was going to tell us that we would achieve a title and we would stay at the gates of the Champions League, "he concludes.
In these days, by the way, that title would have served to secure a place in the Champions League. This time, the stands of the National Arena, with capacity for 55,000 spectators, will remain asleep.
The broken cries of
Luis Suarez
or the constant orders of Simeone, who now, nine years later, is fighting with all his might to lift the European Cup, while also leading the League.
Chelsea is the first step and nothing like recovering the mystique of that night in 2012 to start the journey.
Koke will surely have told the story to the younger ones.
To continue reading for free
Sign inSign up
Or
subscribe to Premium
and you will have access to all the web content of El Mundo
According to the criteria of The Trust Project
Know more