Club Career
Simeone spent most of his career in Italy with Pisa his first European club in 1990 in which he was brought in by manager Mircea Lucescu. After spells at Sevilla and Atlético Madrid where he was part of the club's 1996 La Liga and Copa Del Rey double triumph, Simeone returned to Serie A with Internazionale in 1997 and played two full seasons, winning the UEFA Cup in 1998 in a side spearheaded by Ronaldo up front. They beat his future club Lazio 3–0 in the final.
In 1999 Lazio, bankrolled by food empire Cirio and its owner Sergio Cragnotti and under the guidance of Sven-Göran Eriksson, bought Simeone to join a strong Argentine flavour at the Biancocelesti which included veteran Néstor Sensini, Matías Almeyda, Hernán Crespo and the mercurial passing skills of Juan Sebastián Verón.
The side had gone close to the Scudetto just before Simeone's arrival and he helped deliver the championship after a gruelling season where Juventus led the standings by two points going into the last day, but a Juve loss at rainy Perugia coupled with Lazio's comfortable home win over Reggina at the Stadio Olimpico ensured Simeone's first Serie A title. After winning the double in Spain he would then add the Italian double as Lazio edged out Internazionale to claim the 2000 Coppa Italia.
He went on to play three more seasons at the Biancocelesti which included more last day drama as a Simeone goal against former club Inter on the last day of the 2001–02 campaign effectively ruined his old employers' title dream.
Simeone returned to Atlético Madrid in 2003 and played two more seasons before leaving Europe to return to Argentina with Racing.
Read more about this topic: Diego Simeone
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