Atletico's head coach Diego Simeone described how he managed to achieve an almost impossible.
My youngest son, Juliano, dipped the croissant in milk, bit off a piece and looked at me.
"But Dad, if you succeed, you will not return".
I remember that day very well. Then one phone call changed everything.
A call from Atletico Madrid, they said they wanted to talk to me. They want to discuss my appointment as head coach.
Then together with Juliano we rested in Mar del Plata, a resort town in Argentina. He was only eight years old, and we were sitting in a bar with our croissants and coffee (for me, milk for him) when I told him: "Look, I have a chance to go to Atletico Madrid, and I do not know what to do".
Juliano pondered.
"Will you train Falcao? Will you play against Messi? Against Ronaldo?".
Kid asked me all these questions, to which I answered "yes". And while he dunked the croissant in the milk, he said these words: "Dad, if you succeed, you will not return".
Of course, one can look at this from both sides. With one, it's great, because I want everything to work out for me. On the other hand, it's bad, because I will not see how my children grow up.
I was 27 or 28, when I finally decided that I would become a coach. I returned home after training - then I played for Lazio - grabbed a folder and pretended to be training.
Do you know how when children play, do they imagine themselves in different situations? I was an adult, but I did the same, I was played as a coach. I imagined how I coach my team and plan for it for the next game. By the end of the day I was surrounded by a pile of papers, each of which had drawings or records. I like to record everything.
All this began to arouse in me a great enthusiasm.
Home coaching passion, is the passion to improve their players. Of course, we all want to be champions, but I think the best "champion" title for the coach is when players like Koke, Luke Hernandez, Angel Correia - the guys who have gone all the way from the bottom - become top professionals.
If there is something in me and allocate, it's my stubbornness. If I want something, I will not stop until I reach the goal.
When it was time to finish the playing career and start coaching, I was at home, in Argentina, where I played for Racing. When they offered me a job for the first time, I realized that I should refuse. Second time? Same. And only for the third time did I agree.
The team was in very bad shape, I knew it. But I also knew the players because they were my teammates and I believed that we could do a good job. And my faith was destined to undergo an immediate reality check.
We lost the first three games, failing to score even one goal in them.
Everyone in Racing was very nervous. But we coped with all the problems, thanks to which we became much stronger. This only strengthened our faith.
If there is something in me and allocate, it's my stubbornness. If I want something, I will not stop until I reach the goal.
So I returned to Atletico Madrid.
When I left the club in 2005, I knew very well that my presence was only to the detriment of the team, because because of me the coach could not find peace in any way. Why? Due to the reputation acquired over time and its influence on journalists, fans and all the rest.
But as soon as I left Madrid, I began to prepare for my return.
I knew that I would finish my playing career in Argentina, and there I would start training. But somehow I also knew that I would have the opportunity to lead Atletico Madrid in difficult times for the club, so I was ready for it.
When I accepted Atletico, I did not think for a long time what to say to the players at the first meeting. I've never been that guy who carefully chooses words - I try to be spontaneous. Saying what's on your mind.
That victory in the European League was the start for this collective - a collective who from the very beginning knew that it wanted to fight against the greatest.
I knew that I have an advantage, because I played here for five and a half years. I knew the whaleman, the staff, the president, every place on Vicente Calderon and the people who occupied them. And thanks to all this knowledge, I immediately began to move in the direction they desired.
And in Atletico people always wanted to see a competitive team. Team with strong defense. A team that plays counterattacks and delivers big problems to powerful rivals. I concentrated on this.
When I joined the club, the players were going through hard times - they took 10th place in La Liga and flew out of the King's Cup from Albacete. But I believed that they are able to translate people's desires into reality.
Between the fans and the players was a very strong connection. And, as often happens in football, the fans were absorbed in this passion.
The real starting point came five months after my arrival. Our first victory in the European League was the beginning of a new, important cycle. The cycle that showed our commitment. Which allowed us to clearly see the facts.
Undoubtedly, that victory in the European League was the start for this team - the collective, who from the very beginning knew what it wanted. Fight against the greatest.
To win in the championship of Spain, having won struggle at Madrid Real and Barcelona, ??it is almost impossible. For a decade, these two teams were a tremendous force, and they included incredible players.
But thanks to hard work, stability and dedication, as well as to excellent players - after all, without excellent players it is impossible to achieve what we have achieved - we made the almost impossible possible.
How? Day after day, we continued to believe in what we were doing. And in my second full season as a coach we had a chance.
In football, you can not pause and enjoy the moment - while you are sleeping, someone else is working.
We saw how one of these teams - Real Madrid - a little lost the course. So we staged a pursuit for the rest: Barcelona.
On the last day of the season, we went to the Camp Nou, knowing that we need to score at least one point for the championship. It is necessary to prove yourself in the lair of an opponent.
It is necessary to do something almost impossible.
After the final whistle, along with Herman Burgos, my assistant, I began to laugh. We knew that we could win the title, but when it was confirmed, first of all I experienced a feeling of joy. So what is next? In fact, it's hard to explain. It was a whole complex of feelings.
That season will undoubtedly remain in the history of Spanish football.
But in football, it's impossible to pause to think about everything and enjoy the moment, since while you are sleeping, someone else is working. Sometimes we wonder if, given different time zones, it is possible to work 24 hours a day: one works here and the other is there, so nobody is asleep.
Because football is a difficult market.
We do not have the opportunity to spend 150 or 200 million on one player, as super clubs do. Therefore, we need to seek creativity and gradually improve the team. Year after year, we add something new.
This means that we need to work hard, and we do not have the right to make mistakes when it comes to strengthening the team. If this seems tedious to you, then it does not seem to you.
When I pray, I ask only for strength. I ask strength to remain calm and communicate clearly what I feel. Keep calm day by day is very difficult, but one thoughtless decision can cross out the many years of work.
Atletico is my life. With this club I'm connected by a thirteen-year history.
It is noticeable that my coaching style was influenced by my career as a player. There is in me something like from Italy, and from Spain, and all this is put together in a coach, which many call defensive.
But playing and training are two different lives.
When you are a player, then, with the exception of team goals, you think of yourself. When you are a coach, then all the way around. You must see everything. You should try to neutralize the opponent's strengths and strengthen your own.
And above all, you must be strong, because during the season often there are times when you have to pronounce the right words at the right time to lead the players.
To find these right words, you must have a broad outlook. I listen a lot. I ask many questions. Well, after that I do what I think is best for everyone.
Similarly, I entered that bar in Mar del Plata when I said to Juliano: "I do not know what to do".
Seven years later, I can say that Atletico is my life. With this club I'm connected by a thirteen-year history.
Thirteen years, doing almost impossible.
Source: The Coaches' Voice Translation: Football. ua Do you want to learn the main football news first? Subscribe to our channel in Telegram! You can also follow our website in Viber and Twitter.