Football's Secret Trade

Chapter 6The 100-to-1 Shot

So, would the squad that Miguel Ángel Gil had assembled with the help of investors be enough to give the team a crack at the La Liga title? It seemed unlikely. Atlético Madrid would have to overcome not one but two of the most powerful clubs on the planet. Since 2005, Real Madrid and Barcelona had turned the domestic championship into a duopoly, barely losing a game all season.

Spain's recession was making the competition even more lopsided, as sponsors pulled deals with all but the biggest teams. When Korean carmaker Kia withdrew its €10 million-a-year sponsorship of the Atlético jerseys, Gil could not find a replacement. In 2012, Real Madrid finished first, Barcelona second and there was a huge 30-point gap to the third-placed team, Valencia. Atlético was another five points further back, below Málaga, in fifth place.

As Atlético slipped to a 1-0 home defeat to third-tier Albacete in the Spanish Cup three days before Christmas that season, the rumours were that coach Gregorio Manzano was on the way out. “Olé, olé, olé Cholo Simeone” fans chanted, using the nickname of Diego Simeone, one of the heroes of Atlético's team the last time it won the league in 1996. Gil hired Simeone the next day.

With the club unable to make signings in the January transfer window, Simeone worked with what he had. He instilled a new resolve in the team, turning a lacklustre squad into a determined pack who chased down every ball and relentlessly harried opponents. They ...