Before training began, the players formed a line across the centre circle and waited. When their coach appeared, he ran straight through them — from goalkeepers Juan Musso and Jan Oblak to forwards Antoine Griezmann and Ademola Lookman — as they cheered and struck him in the traditional gauntlet. “Happy birthday, mister,” rang out around the empty stadium.
It was a moment of levity before a defining night. Simeone, who has spent almost two decades at Atlético across two spells, now leads the club into his fourth Champions League semi-final and their seventh overall, nine years after the last.
“You can’t imagine how good it is to be in the four best teams in Europe,” he said after the quarter-final. Ahead of the semi-final, his focus remained personal rather than material. “I have no birthday wish, just pure gratitude to be able to be with my three sons on my birthday, with my two daughters, my mum, my wife, my lifelong friends.”
One of those sons was in the group that greeted him on the pitch: Giuliano Simeone. Their shared story stretches back to Simeone’s playing days. When he said farewell to the Vicente Calderón in 2004, he carried a two-year-old Giuliano in his arms. Years later, before returning to Atlético as coach in 2011, he sat in a café in Mar del Plata with his then eight-year-old son.
“You’re going to coach Radamel Falcao?!” Giuliano exclaimed, before adding a more sobering thought: “But… if it goes well, you won’t come back.”
It did go well — and Simeone stayed. Fourteen years on, he is the longest-serving coach in Spanish football history, and now his son is part of the squad he leads.
Giuliano grew up largely in Argentina with his brothers, Giovanni Simeone and Gianluca Simeone, though the family remained closely connected. Matchdays often began with meals shared over video calls, and football was a constant presence. Tactical diagrams sketched by their father would be found scattered around the house, while conversations revolved around the game.
During Atlético’s 2012 Europa League triumph, Simeone was seen animatedly discussing a goal by Falcao on the phone — the call was to Giuliano. A year later, during the Copa del Rey celebrations, the brothers recreated the atmosphere at home despite it being a school night. In 2015, a long-haired ballboy sprinted down the touchline and leapt into Simeone’s arms after a derby win — it was Giuliano again.
“As a ballboy I was always near the bench,” Giuliano has said. “Sometimes my dad would tell me to slow down if they were winning.” Visits to training sessions only deepened his ambition. “It was crazy seeing the players up close. I always thought: ‘Imagine being out there; that would be mad.’” After Falcao, his idol became Griezmann.
His development, however, was anything but easy. Competing with his brothers toughened him early. “They would kick me, throw me to the floor, and if I cried, I couldn’t play with them any more; I learned to be tougher,” he said.
At 16, he left River Plate’s academy to join Atlético’s youth system, living with his father and absorbing his tactical routines. But at 18, Simeone insisted he move out to develop independence. Soon after, he also made clear the complications of coaching a son. “I don’t want to say never, but it would be very difficult to have a son in the dressing room,” he once said, wary of the pressure and perception it would bring.
Those concerns were not unfounded. “At times, it can feel strange to me, wondering what others might think,” Giuliano admitted in an interview with Jorge Valdano. When Valdano joked that he should criticise the manager even more than his teammates, Giuliano replied quickly: “No doubt!”
He had long been aware of the scrutiny. “When I was 12 people said I was playing because I was my father’s son,” he told Cadena Ser. “I try to isolate myself from that. I know I won’t be gifted anything.”
If anything, he had to prove more. Loan spells at Zaragoza and Alavés followed, and a broken ankle in 2023 threatened to derail his progress. Simeone was at his bedside, but the path back was uncertain. It was Giuliano who forced the issue, earning recognition through relentless performances.
Originally a centre-forward, he was encouraged by his grandfather to move to the wing — a switch that transformed him. At Alavés, his energy and intensity stood out. “That Simeone, man… bloody hell,” said coach Luis García Plaza. “He runs for 90 minutes without stopping. He’s a pain. He’s got a very high level. He makes something out of nothing at any moment.”
Back at Atlético, opportunities were initially limited. He started just once in the opening 11 games after returning from loan. But when chances came — largely out of necessity — he seized them. His impact became undeniable.
Throughout, Simeone has remained measured. “I see a player, not a son,” he says, rarely praising Giuliano publicly even as he openly expresses affection for others — once telling Griezmann: “I love you.”
Maintaining professionalism has extended beyond words. When Gianluca played at Rayo Majadahonda, matches at Atlético’s training ground saw father and sons arrive, sit and leave separately. “Giuliano has a good relationship with his teammates; that’s the thing I’m happiest about in our father-son journey,” Simeone said.
Now firmly part of the squad, Giuliano embodies the same intensity that defines his father. He has a tattoo marking the date of his Atlético debut and speaks of the club as “the team of my life.” At the club shop, a No 20 shirt reads “Giuliano,” not “Simeone,” but the connection is unmistakable.
As Atlético stand on the verge of another European milestone, the birthday celebrations highlighted more than just longevity. They reflected a legacy — one built on loyalty, resilience and family ties woven deeply into the club’s identity.
“I’m not in a position to ask for absolutely anything,” Simeone said. “Just to be grateful.”