The modern rivalry between Barcelona and Atletico Madrid is a tale of two clubs that took very different paths to the top of the footballing world.
As the Pep Guardiola era came to a close, Atletico Madrid, like every other team, were looking for a way to counter Barca’s three league titles in a row heading into the 2011-2012 campaign.
In December of that season, Diego Simeone was hired and he immediately led the team to a Europa League championship, ushering in a new era of consistent results. Over the past eight seasons, that’s included finishing in the top three of La Liga every year, and two appearances in the Champions League final.