Diego Simeone Set to Break ‘British Tradition’ Again Against Liverpool
Diego Simeone is poised to go against UK tradition once again against Liverpool when his Atletico Madrid side travel to Anfield for their opening Champions League fixture.
The two European heavyweights meet in an exciting clash in the league phase on Tuesday.
Liverpool and Atletico have met six times in the Champions League, with the Reds dumped out of the competition by the Spanish side in the 2019/20 campaign after a 4-2 round of 16 aggregate win.
But when they were placed in the same group in the 2021/22 edition of the Champions League, Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool won both fixtures - including a 3-2 win at the Wanda Metropolitano.
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Simeone ran down the tunnel without shaking hands with Klopp, who was taken aback and stood with his thumb up.
The Argentine would later explain that while he is happy to embrace prior to the game, he does not enjoy repeating at the actions of the game even it is standard practice in England.
“I don't like the greeting after the match because they are the emotions of two sides in different emotional minds," Simeone said.
“I know in the UK it is a custom but I don't share it and I don't like the falseness it may include.”
Addressing the handshake snub ahead of their second meeting that season, Klopp commented: “If I'd known he didn't do it (post-match handshakes), I wouldn't have gone for it. I expect we will shake hands before the game tomorrow.”
Simeone barely acknowledged Brendan Rodgers as he tried to walk down the Celtic Park tunnel following a Champions League clash with Celtic, while he has also done similar against Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Slot and Simeone were involving in shoving row
He is likely to do the same against Arne Slot, who he was involved in a previous handshake row.
In 2021, Simeone's Atletico took on Slot's Feyenoord in a friendly where Yannick Carrasco was sent off and players and staff rushed the pitch.
At the end of the 2-1 loss, an irate Simeone refused to shake hands with Slot, who laughed at him but got a shove as a result.
"I want to shake his hand, but he didn’t want to, so I had to laugh at him," Slot told ESPN afterwards.
“I think if no one had been there, it would have been a big problem for me.
“I wouldn’t like to meet him one-on-one.”
The two did bury the hatchet and shook hands when Atleti played Feyenoord in 2023, with Slot recently playing down the incident.
Topics: Diego Simeone, Atletico Madrid, Liverpool
Josh Lawless