Football
ESPN staff 8y

Only Real Madrid, Barca and Bayern Munich better than Atletico - Simeone

Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone has clarified his "think about" his future comment made after his team's loss to Real Madrid in the Champions League final and went on to claim that only three clubs are better than his team.

A 5-3 penalty shootout loss to crosstown rivals Madrid was the second Champions League final heartbreak in three years to the same opponents, prompting the Argentine tactician to comment that he will need some time to think about his future.

Simeone, who has been with Atletico since 2011, has since come out to clarify that what he said after the game was in the heat of the moment.

"I spoke heatedly, us Argentineans are like this," Simeone told reporters on Wednesday.

"The others do not take the blame for beating you, I learnt that with time. You have to remember the pain and suffering, because it is necessary to then get over it."

Having made history by becoming the first club other than Madrid and Barcelona since Valencia -- 2003-04 season -- to win the La Liga title during the 2013-14 season, Simeone has also won the Europa League, Copa del Rey, Spanish Super Cup and UEFA Super Cup,

He reckons Atletico will continue to rival the big European clubs for major honours in years to come, and rates his team just behind three other clubs on the continent.

"I don't think there are many better teams than us," he added. "To be better than Atletico is hard, because we play as a team.

"At every corner of the club, it's now been four and a half years that we are constantly eager to improve.

"The only teams better than us are Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, no one else."

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