Diego Simeone Identifies Surprise Real Madrid Man As Their Key Player

Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid will once again battle neighbours Real Madrid in a Champions League final, and despite the opposition boasting the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale among others, Simeone has identified Real's key player to the surprise of many.

The Argentine has labelled Casemiro as Real's most important player ahead of this weekends Champions League Final. Some praise considering they have a potent front three as well as the talented Luka Modric and Toni Kross, yet it's the unheralded Brazilian who has been singled out.

Simeone replied with "certainly, yes" when a reporter asked him if Casemiro was a crucial member of Real's set-up. Also adding;

"It's going to be a very tense, balanced game. The presence of Casemiro gives them the possibility of regrouping better if they lose the ball. Casemiro makes Madrid very dangerous on the counter-attack. If you give them space they're very dangerous."

Atletico finished third in the La Liga two points behind Real, though have the opportunity to pip their cross-town rivals to European triumph. The final is a repeat of the 2014 showpiece, where the sides met in Lisbon, Portugal, unfortunately for Simeone's men they lost 4-1, they will be looking to exact revenge when they meet again in Milan, Italy.

Topics: Atletico Madrid, Champions League, Diego Simeone

Nasir Jabbar

Nasir Jabbar is a journalist at SPORTbible. He graduated from Bath Spa University with a BA in Media Communications. He's a combat sport aficionado, and has contributed to MMA websites AddictedMMA and CagePotato. Nasir has covered some of the biggest fights, while interviewing the likes of Conor McGregor, Michael Bisping and Anthony Joshua. He's also an avid Bristol City fan.

@https://twitter.com/NasJabbar