The banner behind the goal at the south end of the Santiago Bernabeu stadium read: “Wanted: A worthwhile rival to make a decent derby.”
The jibe was aimed at Atletico Madrid and on that November day 12 years ago, it felt especially cruel. Real Madrid were beating their neighbours 4-1. The banner spoke a truth. At that stage, Atletico had to rewind all the way back to the previous century to locate a Liga derby against Real where their opponents had finished as the losing team.
A month after the banner was brought into the Bernabeu, its collage pieces reassembled by giggling Madridistas once they had taken their seats, Atletico Madrid sacked a head coach for the 15th time in a dozen years and brought in their ex-player Diego Simeone. He ended his first full season in charge with a derby win over Real Madrid at the Bernabeu that also happened to be the Spanish Cup final.
Since then Atletico have barely looked backed. Barely, because although the biggest Madrid derbies of Simeone’s long era as the most transformative figure in Atletico’s modern history were lost, the fact that they were both Champions League finals – Real won in extra-time, having trailed for most of the 90 minutes in 2014 in Lisbon; Real were victors on penalties in Milan in 2016 – speaks to how a flakey club, unworthy of sharing the same heavyweight space with Real Madrid, have under Simeone joined Europe’s superclub circle. There have been two Liga titles, in 2014 and 2021, to break the duopoly on Real and Barcelona on that prize.
Yet as Simeone approaches his 40th Madrid derby as boss of Atletico, Real visiting the Metropolitano stadium on Sunday, the second club of the Spanish capital are starting to hear cruel taunts again. And some are coming from a little too close to home.
The costliest investment Atletico have made in a player under Simeone is the €127 million they committed on the then teenaged Joao Felix in 2019. On Tuesday night he scored twice in the Champions League. Trouble is, he was playing for Barcelona, making his second European debut of the calendar year for a club Atletico have loaned him to.
If his six months at Chelsea, who he joined in January, were flat, his fit at Barca, where he arrived last month, so far looks promising. Good enough that Joao Felix was on Wednesday giving interviews to different media explaining bluntly why he wants to be out of Atletico, and most of all, away from Simeone.
The tension between the Portuguese playmaker and Simeone had been no secret, but the criticism is fierce. “I wasn’t happy there. I didn’t adapt to the club’s ideas and the coach’s ideas,” Joao Felix told Mundo Deportivo, the Spanish newspaper. “But I always did my best, and obviously there were some good times, too.”
His three-and-a-half years in an Atletico jersey included a Liga title and 34 goals from his 131 matches, but the frustrations of an ambitious, impatient young footballer with what he perceived as Simeone’s crabby, counter-attacking style have left an angry residue. It is hard to see Joao Felix reunited with his parent club at the end of his loan if Simeone is still the coach there.
After nearly 12 years in the job, his departure would be seismic; jibes against the cagey gameplan, like Joao Felix’s, are nothing new either. Simeone is a combative, tough coach but also one who inspires a rare loyalty. Atletico under him are the club to which footballers return: Antoine Griezmann, accused of betrayal when he joined Barcelona, is back there, one in a line of footballers who moved on, sometimes in fractious circumstances, but then missed the place and came ‘home’, also see: Diego Costa, Yannick Carrasco and Saul Niguez.
The rupture with Joao Felix looks too grave to imagine him joining that list.
The season has started patchily. While Joao Felix was knitting together the sort of pass-and-move football he prefers and contributing his brace of goals to Barcelona’s 5-0 win over Royal Antwerp, Atletico were in Rome throwing away a lead against Lazio.
Simeone’s men, painstakingly drilled to absorb attacks and anticipate set-piece threats, saw a 1-0 lead over Lazio turned into a 1-1 draw in stoppage time in their Champions League opener, the scorer of Lazio’s goal was their goalkeeper Ivan Provedel, who had come up for an attacking corner.
On the back of last weekend’s 3-0 Liga loss to Valencia, it was another bruise to Atletico pride. The local landscape is not looking too flattering either, with Real top of the table, on a maximum 15 points, with Atletico in seventh.
The form of Jude Bellingham, who on Wednesday against Union Berlin scored his sixth goal in as many games since joining Real, is ominous, and can’t help but put a critical lens on Atletico’s transfer strategy. Like Joao Felix, Bellingham was signed at 19 years old for a €100m-plus fee. Unlike Joao Felix, Bellingham will have a say in the outcome of this weekend’s derby.
In numbers
- Number of children under five will fall from 681 million in 2017 to 401m in 2100
- Over-80s will rise from 141m in 2017 to 866m in 2100
- Nigeria will become the world’s second most populous country with 791m by 2100, behind India
- China will fall dramatically from a peak of 2.4 billion in 2024 to 732 million by 2100
- an average of 2.1 children per woman is required to sustain population growth
((Disclaimer))
The Liechtensteinische Landesbank AG (“Bank”) assumes no liability or guarantee for the accuracy, balance, or completeness of the information in this publication. The content may change at any time due to given circumstances, and the Liechtensteinische Landesbank AG is under no obligation to update information once it has been published. This publication is intended for information purposes only and does not constitute an offer, a recommendation or an invitation by, or on behalf of, Liechtensteinische Landesbank (DIFC Branch), Liechtensteinische Landesbank AG, or any of its group affiliates to make any investments or obtain services. This publication has not been reviewed, disapproved or approved by the United Arab Emirates (“UAE”) Central Bank, Dubai Financial Services Authority (“DFSA”) or any other relevant licensing authorities in the UAE. It may not be relied upon by or distributed to retail clients. Liechtensteinische Landesbank (DIFC Branch) is regulated by the DFSA and this advertorial is intended for Professional Clients (as defined by the DFSA) who have sufficient financial experience and understanding of financial markets, products or transactions and any associated risks.
MATCH INFO
Chelsea 4 (Mount 18',Werner 44', Hudson-Odoi 49', Havertz 85')
Morecambe 0
MATCH INFO
Uefa Nations League
League A, Group 4
Spain v England, 10.45pm (UAE)
Results
5pm: Wadi Nagab – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,200m; Winner: Al Falaq, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Ahmed Al Shemaili (trainer)
5.30pm: Wadi Sidr – Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: AF Majalis, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: AF Fakhama, Fernando Jara, Mohamed Daggash
6.30pm: Wadi Shees – Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Mutaqadim, Antonio Fresu, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
7pm: Arabian Triple Crown Round-1 – Listed (PA) Dh230,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Bahar Muscat, Antonio Fresu, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
7.30pm: Wadi Tayyibah – Maiden (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Poster Paint, Patrick Cosgrave, Bhupat Seemar
THE DETAILS
Director: Milan Jhaveri
Producer: Emmay Entertainment and T-Series
Cast: John Abraham, Manoj Bajpayee
Rating: 2/5
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Another way to earn air miles
In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.
An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.
“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Dubai Women's Tour teams
Agolico BMC
Andy Schleck Cycles-Immo Losch
Aromitalia Basso Bikes Vaiano
Cogeas Mettler Look
Doltcini-Van Eyck Sport
Hitec Products – Birk Sport
Kazakhstan National Team
Kuwait Cycling Team
Macogep Tornatech Girondins de Bordeaux
Minsk Cycling Club
Pannonia Regional Team (Fehérvár)
Team Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Team Ciclotel
UAE Women’s Team
Under 23 Kazakhstan Team
Wheel Divas Cycling Team
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Race 3
Produced: Salman Khan Films and Tips Films
Director: Remo D’Souza
Cast: Salman Khan, Anil Kapoor, Jacqueline Fernandez, Bobby Deol, Daisy Shah, Saqib Salem
Rating: 2.5 stars
FA CUP FINAL
Chelsea 1
Hazard (22' pen)
Manchester United 0
Man of the match: Eden Hazard (Chelsea)
