Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone has been tipped to return to Italy one day and manage Inter Milan by his son.
Giovanni Simeone, 19, was born in Madrid while his father was a player for Atletico but spent six of the first eight years of his life growing up in Italy as his father played for Lazio and Inter Milan.
Simeone Sr. began his career at Velez Sarsfield in 1987, but moved to Italy to join Pisa in 1990. He spent two years in sourthern Europe before moving to Spain to play for Sevilla and Atletico and then headed back to Serie A between 1997-2003.
While he currently manages a club he played for twice, prior to leading Atleti to an unexpected 10th La Liga title as well as to within a minute of Champions League glory last season, Simeone earned his coaching stripes in Sicily with Catania and Giovanni says his father is destined to return one day.
"Yes, he is loved by Inter and he also holds Inter close to his heart," Simeone Jr. told La Gazzetta dello Sport. "He's happy at Atletico, but once he's finished there, he could return to Italy. He loves all of his former clubs."
Speaking prior to a Champions League group game against Juventus earlier this season, Simeone admitted he owed a lot of where he is now to Italian football.
"I think that my steps at Catania Calcio were my most important ones because I met things there that I had not seen in big clubs back in Argentina," Simeone said in December.
"That experience certainly helped me face up to difficulties which help you grow. In Italy, it's harder for a coach and I certainly have a lot from Italian football in me."