Atletico Madrid Top 10 Players Ever
Atletico Madrid: 10 Players who made the Club what it is Today
Club Atlético de Madrid famously known as Atletico Madrid have become a European Powerhouse in the last century. They might not be famous for scoring goals but are well known for not conceding much. Their line of defence is what makes them a tough nut to crack.
Atletico Madrid have registered 10 La Liga and Copa del Rey titles along with 2 UEFA European League and a European cup winner cup so far. They are on the verge of winning their 11th League title this year unless FC Barcelona gets better of them.
One of the reasons Atletico Madrid have achieved so much in the past 100 years is because of their players, who have made the club what it is today.
So, let’s have a look at the top 10 players who have helped the club achieve the glory.
10. Diego Simeone (1994-1997, 2003-2005)
Once a player, now a manager is the story behind the name Diego Simeone. He joined the club a long way back in 1994 from Sevilla FC. The Argentina played as a defensive midfielder and helped the team to won two of the major domestic trophies in Spain. The combative midfielder played a key role in the team that won both La Liga and Copa del Rey in a single season.
In 1997, Simeone left the club to join Inter Milan and then returned in 2003 to play the second spell of his career. In total, he played 165 matches for Atlético Madrid, scoring 31 goals. He finally left the club and Europe in 2005 to play for his home club Racing for the last year of his career.
9. Fernando Torres (2001-2007, 2015-2018)
Born in the city which is in the community of Madrid and thus became a player who was developed under the youth academy of Atletico Madrid. Fernando Torres, given the tag of local hero, played the role of a natural striker in the club. He helped the club to get back in the La Liga in 2002 by winning the Segunda División.
He left the club in 2007 to join the Premier League and play for Liverpool FC. During his first spell with Atletico, he scored 83 goals while he returned in 2015 to add a few more to his name bringing the telly to 121. Torres also assisted the club in winning their second UEFA Europa League in 2018. He finally left the club in 2018 to finish his career in the Japanese League.
8. Carlos Aguilera (1988-1993, 1996-2005)
Juan Carlos Aguilera Martín is fourth on the list of all-time appearance maker for Atlético Madrid. Born in Madrid, Aguilera made his debut in 1988 for the club and helped them in winning back-to-back Copa del Rey titles. He used to play as a right wing-back and thus he also scored 7 goals for the club in his first spell.
The Spanish International left the club in 1993 and returned after 3 years in 1996 to play until the end of his career with Atletico. Alongside Fernando Torres, he also helped the club to win Segunda División and get a place back among the big boys in La Liga. In his 454 appearances for the club, he found the net 29 times making him one of the greatest right-back of the club.
7. Antoine Griezmann (2014-2019)
Atletico Madrid made him the star he is today. Antoine Griezmann joined the club in 2014 on a transfer fee of €30m from Real Sociedad. The Frenchmen is known for his skill set along with the pace he possesses to threaten the opposition defence. He aids the club by scoring 133 goals in just 257 games making him the fifth highest goal scorer for the club.
Griezmann helped the club in winning 3 major trophies. Under Atletico Madrid, he won:1 UEFA Europa League.1 UEFA Super Cup. And Supercopa de España before finally leaving the club in 2019 to join Barcelona.
6. Adrian Escudero (1945–1958)
In the career span of 13 years, Adrian Escudero played for only one club and that was Atletico Madrid. Starting his youth career with Banco Hispano Americano Escudero, joined Atletico in 1945, to begin with, his senior Vocation. He used to play the role of a central striker for the club.
The Spanish International found the net 150 times in his span of 287 appearances for the club. He is registered as one of the deadly strikers of that time.
5. Adelardo Rodriguez (1959-1976)
Born in Badajoz, Spain, Rodriguez made his debut for the club in 1959. One can say he was a proper attacking midfielder with the eagerness to score he found the net 113 times for the club. In the span of his 17 years long tie with Atletico Madrid, he helped the club in winning 3 La Liga titles, 5 Copa del Rey trophies and an Intercontinental Cup, along with a UEFA Cup Winners' Cup.
Rodriguez is topping the list of appearances for the club with 551 games in total. He is recognized as one of the all-time greats in the history of the club.
4. Koke (2009-Present)
Jorge Resurrección Merodio, famously known as Koke is one of those players who was born in Madrid and played for Madrid. Developed under the youth academy of Atletico Madrid Koke has been loyal to the club making 442 appearances for the club and still counting.
The Spanish international is a versatile player who can play on several positions in the midfield. With his flexible style of play, Koke has helped the team to create many goals and win a La Liga title, a Copa del Rey trophy, a Supercopa de España, 2 UEFA Europa League, and 2 UEFA Super Cup.
He is currently on the verge of winning his 2nd La Liga title with the club.
3. Gabi (2004-2007, 2011-2018)
Gabriel Fernández Arenas notably known as Gabi, played as the heart of the midfield for Atletico Madrid. While names like Diego Costa mark the headlines with their goals, it was the likes of Gabi that created the chances to score one. He helped Atletico to win a La Liga title, a Copa del Rey, a Supercopa de España, 2 UEFA Europa League, and 2 UEFA Super Cup.
He made a remarkable 413 appearances for the club and registered his name as one of the greatest in the history of the club.
2. Diego Godin (2010-2019)
Diego Godin is one of the best Center-Backs who played under the era of Diego Simeone. The Uruguayan defender has played a major role in achieving some European success for the team. Godin, playing at the heart of defence helped the team to win 3 UEFA Super Cup. Godin was also part of the team when Atletico won its first UEFA Europa League.
The defender not only played his part in the line of defence but also netted the ball 17 times. He was always the first choice of the team under Simeone. Under his leadership, the club also won a La Liga, a Copa del Rey, and a Supercopa de España.
Juanfran (2011-2019)
Juan Francisco Torres Belén, whom you might probably know as Juanfran. The Spanish international is witnessed as one of the best right-backs in the history of the club. He had joined Atletico on a small transfer fee of just over €4m from Osasuna. The defender soon became a regular starter for Atletico Madrid and played a major role in winning the domestic league in 2014.
Juanfran was one of the most trusted lieutenants under Simeone who truly symbolized Cholismo more than anybody.
In the total span of 8 years in the club, he made 355 appearances for them. However, Juanfran left the club in 2019 to play for São Paulo to finish his career in Brazil.
Major Trophies won by Juanfran under Atletico Madrid: 1 La Liga. 1 Copa del Rey. 1 Supercopa de España. 2 UEFA Europa League. 2 UEFA Super Cup.
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