Cristiano Ronaldo Transfer from Manchester United to Atletico Madrid 'Impossible'
Jul 26, 2022
Portugal's forward Cristiano Ronaldo reacts during the UEFA Nations League, league A group 2 football match between Portugal and Czech Republic at the Jose Alvalade stadium in Lisbon on June 9, 2022. (Photo by PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA / AFP) (Photo by PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA/AFP via Getty Images)
Cristiano Ronaldo spent a good portion of his career starring for La Liga giants Real Madrid. And despite rumors that he might join one of that club's primary rivals, Atletico Madrid, as he reportedly seeks an exit from Manchester United this summer, Atletico president Enrique Cerezo put a halt to that conversation on Tuesday.
"I've said it many times. I don't know who invented the story about Cristiano. But I'll tell you, it's practically impossible for him to come to Atletico Madrid," he told reporters.
Cerezo told reporters last month that Atletico needed to clear around €40 million ($40.5 million) from departures in order to bring new players in this summer. The club has signed Axel Witsel on a free transfer, while right-back Nahuel Molina appears poised to be the next addition.
Ronaldo's name has popped up alongside a number of prominent European clubs thus far in the summer transfer window. Bayern Munich, despite losing superstar forward Robert Lewandowski to Barcelona, didn't bite:
Bayern director Kahn tells Bild: “We discussed about Cristiano Ronaldo internally - I consider him one of greatest footballers ever” 🚨 #FCBayern
“Then we came to conclusion that, despite appreciation for Cristiano, he would not fit into our philosophy in the current situation”. pic.twitter.com/JuBTUdUnsS
ESPN's Julien Laurens reported on July 12 that PSG were given the chance to bring Ronaldo on board after his agent, Jorge Mendes, met with sporting director Luis Campos and club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi. They turned down the opportunity.
Two days later, ESPN's James Olley reported that Chelsea—in need of a central forward—took themselves out of the running for Ronaldo as well.
And now Atletico Madrid are pulling out of contention.
Throughout the entire saga, Manchester United has maintained that it isn't interested in letting the 37-year-old forward leave.
"We are planning for Cristiano Ronaldo for the season and that's it," United manager Erik ten Hag told reporters earlier in July. "I'm looking forward to working with him. I have read [that he wants to leave], but what I say is Cristiano is not for sale, he is in our plans and we want success together."
Ronaldo hasn't lost his scoring touch. He found the back of the net 18 times and added three assists in Premier League action last season.
But Ronaldo's age, wages and his inability (or unwillingness) to operate as a defensive contributor in a high-pressing tactical system has perhaps soured him for high-profile teams around Europe. At this stage, Ronaldo is an expensive poacher, capable of scoring goals but offering less in other areas of the game.
So as the summer wears on, a return to Manchester United feels more and more likely.
Champions League 2022: Results, Top Scorers After Wednesday's Round of 16 Games
Feb 23, 2022
LISBON, PORTUGAL - FEBRUARY 23: Sebastien Haller of Ajax looks on during the UEFA Champions League Round Of Sixteen Leg One match between SL Benfica and AFC Ajax at Estadio da Luz on February 23, 2022 in Lisbon, Portugal. (Photo by Octavio Passos/Getty Images)
The Champions League round of 16 is halfway over after the last four clubs began their knockout stage runs on Wednesday.
Atletico Madrid and Manchester United finished with a 1-1 draw while Ajax and Benfica ended even at 2-2 in the first leg for each tie. The squads will look to clinch a spot in the quarterfinal in the return matches on March 15.
The latest matches were also important in the race for the top goalscorer in this year's competition with Sebastien Haller continuing to lead big names like Cristiano Ronaldo, Antoine Griezmann and others who were in action Wednesday.
Here is the latest in the hunt for the golden boot.
Sebastien Haller entered the day leading the competition with 10 goals, but made what was seemingly his first mistake of the tournament with an own goal in the 25th minute against Benfica:
◉ Most goals scored in first two games (5) ◉ Most goals scored in first five games (9) ◉ Most goals scored in first six games (10) ◉ Most goals scored in first seven games (11)
Sébastien Haller has scored more goals in 7 Champions League games for Ajax (11) than he did in 48 Premier League games for West Ham (10) 😳 pic.twitter.com/XylcNzEhFY
Anthony Elanga produced a great finish on his first touch after a perfect Bruno Fernandes through ball. It was the seventh assist in UCL play for Fernandes, who leads all players in the competition.
Bruno Fernandes has 7 assists in 6 #UCL games this season:
🅰️ vs Young Boys 🅰️ vs Villarreal 🅰️🅰️ vs Atalanta 🅰️ vs Atalanta 🅰️ vs Villarreal 🅰️ vs Atletico Madrid
6 - Bruno Fernandes is the first player in Champions League history to assist in six consecutive appearances while playing for an English club, breaking the record held by David Beckham (for @ManUtd) since 1998. Creator. pic.twitter.com/y92qBMZas8
The one assist was enough for Manchester United to have much more confidence heading into the second leg.
The goalscoring competition should also remain a good one throughout the knockout stages with Robert Lewandowski's Bayern Munich and Mohamed Salah's Liverpool both a threat to make a deep run.
Report: Antoine Griezmann Returning to Atletico Madrid on Loan from Barcelona
Aug 31, 2021
France's forward Antoine Griezmann reacts as he arrives for a training session at the Meineau stadium in Strasbourg, eastern France, on August 31, 2021 on the eve of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 qualification Group D football match between France and Bosnia-Herzegovina. (Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP) (Photo by FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images)
Antoine Griezmann is back with Atletico Madrid.
According to soccer journalist Fabrizio Romano, Griezmann is returning to the La Liga champions on a loan from Barcelona with an option to buy for €40 million ($47.2 million) after the season.
In corresponding moves, Atletico reportedly are loaning midfielder Saul Niguez to Chelsea, while Barcelona are attempting to finalize a transfer for Sevilla forward Luuk de Jong.
In corresponding moves, Atletico reportedly are loaning midfielder Saul Niguez to Chelsea, while Barcelona are attempting to finalize a transfer for Sevilla forward Luuk de Jong.
Saúl will officially join Chelsea in the next few minutes on loan for €5m with also buy OPTION for €40m valid in June 2022. Atletico Madrid have total agreement with Chelsea as revealed earlier - it’s here we go. 🔵🇪🇸 #CFC#DeadlineDay
João Felix is not part of Griezmann deal with Atletico Madrid. Barcelona are working to complete Luuk de Jong deal with Sevilla now. 🚨🤝 #Atleti#Sevilla#DeadlineDay
Griezmann emerged as one of the game's most dangerous forwards during his time with Atletico, posting 94 league goals and 32 league assists in five seasons for the club before departing for Barca ahead of the 2019-20 season.
The 30-year-old didn't bring that production with him, however, posting 22 goals and 11 assists in his two full seasons with Barca (71 total La Liga appearances). To put that in perspective, the Frenchman had two separate seasons scoring 22 goals with Atleti.
📆 July 2019: Barca sign Griezmann from Atleti for €120m
📆 Sept 2020: Barca release Luis Suarez
📆 Sept 2020: Atleti sign Luis Suarez on a free transfer
📆 May 2021: Atleti win LaLiga
📆 Aug 2021: Barca loan Griezmann to Atleti with €40m option
Nothing will be more shocking than Messi's departure. But strengthening a key rival that won the title last season is a curious bit of business itself, even if Griezmann's tenure at the Camp Nou was an unsuccessful one.
Barcelona is clearly building for the future around young players like Pedri, Eric Garcia and Ansu Fati while attempting to keep ambitions high for this season. But there's little doubt that it has just strengthened a key rival, even if the wage bill required it.
Report: Antoine Griezmann, Joao Felix Swap Talks Held by Barcelona, Atletico Madrid
Aug 31, 2021
BARCELONA, SPAIN - AUGUST 29: Antoine Griezmann of FC Barcelona looks on during the La Liga Santader match between FC Barcelona and Getafe CF at Camp Nou on August 29, 2021 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
Barcelona reportedly continue to make a
late push to acquire Joao Felix from Atletico Madrid before the
summer transfer window closes Tuesday by offering Antoine Griezmann
in a potential swap.
ESPN's Sam Marsden and Moises Llorens
reported the latest conversations could hinge on Diego Simeone, who's "keen" to work with Griezmann again after the forward left the
club in 2019 to join Barca, but the Atletico manager does not want
the reunion to come at the expense of Felix.
The Colchoneros have raised the
prospect of reopening talks about a swap that would send Griezmann
back to Estadio Metropolitano in exchange for midfielder Saul Niguez,
which was discussed earlier in the window, but Barcelona would prefer
a forward in return for the French international, per ESPN.
Griezmann, 30, tallied 13 goals and
seven assists across 36 La Liga appearances for Barca last season. He
arrived to Camp Nou in July 2019 on a €120 million transfer.
Felix, 21, has looked like a star in
the making during stints with Benfica and Atletico over the past
three years. He recorded seven goals and five assists in 31 La Liga
matches last term.
Barcelona made an initial offer to take
the Portuguese forward on loan for 2021-22 and, after that was
declined, returned with the Griezmann swap proposal, according to
ESPN.
With Simeone hesitant to give up Felix
in the final hours before the transfer deadline, it's unclear whether
the sides have any further alternatives, or whether Barca could add
further assets to entice the swap.
In 2018, Griezmann told UEFA.com before
his exit from Atletico that Simeone was the “best tactical and
defensive coach in the world.”
"It's a joy to work with him. He
identifies every player's weaknesses and tries to improve them,
making you a more complete player," Griezmann said. "He has
helped me grow both on a personal and professional level. He will
always ask for the best of me and make me do my best, and I'll always
be there to help him and help win the games."
He won the UEFA Super Cup and Europa
League under Simeone during his prior stint with the club.
While it sounds like a return is
possible before the transfer window closes, the clubs still have work
to do if it's going to become reality.
Luis Suarez Tests Positive for COVID-19 Ahead of Uruguay vs. Brazil
Nov 16, 2020
Uruguay's Luis Suarez celebrates after scoring from the penalty spot his side's second goal against Colombia during a qualifying soccer match for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 at the Metropolitano stadium in Barranquilla, Colombia, Friday, Nov. 13, 2020. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Atletico Madrid star Luis Suarez tested positive for COVID-19 while on duty for the Uruguay national team.
"The Uruguayan football association AUF) reports that swab tests have been performed on all members of the National Team, and the players Luis Suarez and Rodrigo Munozand team official Matias Faral have tested positive for COVID-19, while the other members of the party have tested negative," the federation said in a statement (via ESPN FC's Alex Kirkland).
"The three are all in good health and the pertinent measures have been implemented."
Uruguay beat Colombia 3-0 last Friday in a 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier. Suarez scored the country's second goal from the penalty spot in the 54th minute. His positive test rules him out for Tuesday's qualifier against Brazil. Uruguay aren't in action again until March.
Suarez will likely also miss a pair of important fixtures for Atletico. Los Colchoneros play Barcelona on Saturday in La Liga and resume Champions League play Nov. 25 against Lokomotiv Moscow. Only two points separate second-place Atletico from third-place Lokomotiv in Group A.
Atletico signed Suarez in September shortly after loaning Alvaro Morata out to Juventus. The 33-year-old is already an integral member of the club's attack. He has scored five times in six La Liga matches.
His absence will put even more pressure on Joao Felix, whose seven goals across all competitions are highest on the team.
Atletico Madrid's Kieran Trippier Charged by FA for Betting-Rules Violation
May 1, 2020
Atletico Madrid defender Kieran Trippier in action during the first half of an International Champions Cup soccer match against Real Madrid, Friday, July 26, 2019, in East Rutherford, N.J. Atletico Madrid won 7-3. (AP Photo/Steve Luciano)
Atletico Madrid defender Kieran Trippier was charged with misconduct by the Football Association on Friday for allegedly violating betting rules.
According to Sky Sports, the charges stem from "alleged betting around" July 2019, which is when Trippier transferred from Tottenham Hotspur to Atletico Madrid.
Per Rob Harris of the Associated Press, Trippier has denied the allegations, saying: "I want to make it clear that while a professional footballer, I have at no stage placed any football related bets or received any financial benefit from others betting."
In a statement, the FA specifically explained which two betting rules Trippier is alleged to have breached:
"Rule E8(1)(a): a participant shall not bet, either directly or indirectly, or instruct, permit, cause or enable any person to bet on - (i) the result, progress, conduct or any other aspect of, or occurrence in or in connection with, a football match or competition; or (ii) any other matter concerning or related to football anywhere in the world, including, for example and without limitation, the transfer of players, employment of managers, team selection or disciplinary matters.
"Rule E8(1)(b): where a participant provides to any other person any information relating to football which the participant has obtained by virtue of his or her position within the game and which is not publicly available at that time, the participant shall be in breach of this Rule where any of that information is used by that other person for, or in relation to, betting."
The 29-year-old Trippier has made 19 appearances for the England national team during his career.
Trippier worked his way up through the Manchester City academy from a young age and went on to spend time at Barnsley, Burnley and Tottenham before transferring to Atletico Madrid last year.
He made 19 league appearances for Atletico Madrid during the 2019-20 season before the La Liga campaign was suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic. Atletico are a disappointing sixth in the table with 11 wins, 12 draws and four losses for 45 points in 27 matches, but they did make it through to the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals after beating holders Liverpool in the round of 16.
Fellow English footballer Daniel Sturridge was found guilty of two betting violations last year, and while he was initially suspended for six weeks and fined £75,000, it wasannouncedin March that he would be banned from football through June 17.
Diego Simeone, Atletico Madrid Players Take 70 Percent Pay Cut During COVID-19
Apr 2, 2020
Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone waits for the start of the Champions League, Group D, soccer match between Leverkusen and Atletico Madrid at the BayArena in Leverkusen, Germany, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone and the club's players have agreed to a 70 percent pay cut after the team announced it would present an ERTE during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Rodrigo Faez and Alex Kirkland of ESPN, a step that Spanish businesses can take during an emergency to cut the wages of its staff.
The club released the following statement Thursday:
"The first team squad and coaching staff understand the club's need to present an ERTE, respect its conditions and accept the resulting financial impact on their incomes. All members of the first team have reached an internal agreement with the club that defines two different scenarios depending on the final outcome of the 2019-20 season. The filing will mean a 70 percent reduction in the salaries of coaches and players of the men's first team, the women's first team and Atletico Madrid B, while the state of emergency lasts."
Per Faez and Kirkland, Simeone and the players "were keen" to help the support staff by taking the pay cuts, which will supplement 50 percent of the salaries for 430 Atletico employees. Team executives will pay the other 50 percent.
Atletico's La Liga rivals, Barcelona, took similar measures, with its players also taking a 70 percent pay cut, while in the Bundesliga, Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Moenchengladbach, Schalke 04 and Hoffenheim have enforced player pay cuts.
And La Liga clubs Espanyol and Alaves will also present ERTEs to reduce wage bills amid the coronavirus pandemic. Faez and Kirkland reported that Real Madrid "have no plans to take similar measures."
As of Thursday, there have been over 962,000 reported cases of COVID-19, perCNN.com, with 49,180 deaths. In Spain there have been over 110,000 cases and 10,003 deaths.
When, or if, La Liga's season resumes, Atletico will attempt to claw back into a top-four position. The Spanish powerhouse sits in sixth place on 45 points.
Kieran Trippier Defends Atletico Madrid's Style After Jurgen Klopp Criticism
Mar 19, 2020
Atletico Madrid's English defender Kieran Trippier attends a training session at Anfield stadium in Liverpool, north west England on March 10, 2020, on the eve of their UEFA Champions League last 16 second leg football match against Liverpool. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP) (Photo by PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
Atletico Madrid full-back Kieran Trippier has defended the team's style of football following recent criticism from Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp.
Klopp took aim at the way Atletico plays after the La Liga side dumped the Reds out of the UEFA Champions League recently, with the Madrid outfit's 3-2 win at Anfield after extra time was enough to put them into the quarter-finals of the competition.
Speaking about the victory, the Englishman, in his first season with Atleti after starring for Tottenham Hotspur, said his side would have been easily picked off had they not played a defensive style, per David Anderson of the Daily Mirror:
"People have this perception that we're a defensive side, but I think they're getting too carried away with the way we played against Liverpool. If you go there and go toe-to-toe with Liverpool, you're going to get beat 6-0. I don't know what people expect.
"You see pundits complaining because we did defend, but did they expect us to go there and play attacking football, especially with Liverpool playing the way that they're playing at the moment?
"You need to go there with a plan and we did that. We did have to defend, but the most important thing is that we got the win."
Liverpool were in a position to progress into the last eight after Roberto Firmino put them 2-0 ahead in extra time. However, a quickfire brace from Marcos Llorente and a late effort from Alvaro Morata put them 3-2 ahead on the night:
Afterwards, Klopp said that Atletico have a standard of player in their squad that should allow them to play more expansive football, per BT Sport (h/t Goal): "I don't understand, with the quality they have, the football they play. They could play proper football, but they stand deep and have counter-attacks."
While Atletico manager Diego Simeone has set the team up defensively to great effect in the Champions League previously, Liverpool spurned a number of chances to win the game in normal time.
Former Reds forward Michael Owen said after the match that Atletico were fortunate to progress as a result:
Please spare me all this inevitable Simeone masterclass nonsense. There’s nothing genius about putting 11 top class footballers behind the ball. Liverpool absolutely pumped them throughout.
Following the sales of Antoine Griezmann, Rodri and Diego Godin in the summer, it's not a huge shock that Atletico do have vulnerabilities. Nevertheless, they showed at Anfield that if they have Simeone on the sidelines, they can still get the better of any opponent.
As of yet, it's unclear when their push for Champions League glory will continue, with UEFA suspending all matches in the competition due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Why Atletico Madrid Consider Goalkeeper Jan Oblak to Be Their Leo Messi
Mar 17, 2020
In March 2017, Atletico Madrid played Bayer Leverkusen in a UEFA Champions League knockout tie. It was one of Atletico's final European Cup games at the old Vicente Calderon Stadium, and they were defending a 4-2 lead from the first leg in Germany.
Midway through the second half—with the teams scoreless—Atletico Madrid central defender Jose Maria Gimenez coughed up possession with a lax crossfield pass. Julian Brandt, a German international, took the gift and bore down on goal. Once he got inside the box, he pulled the trigger, but Jan Oblak saved his shot.
The ball fell to the left foot of Brandt's fellow German international teammate Kevin Volland, but a despairing lunge from Oblak stopped his shot from going in, too. The rebound fell to Volland again. He controlled the ball with two touches and fired a shot across the other side of the goal, but again—miraculously—Oblak dived to save.
Three shots, three seconds, three saves. The Calderon went crazy. For Oblak, though, he was just taking care of business, as he did by famously stopping Thomas Muller's penalty in the 2016 UEFA Champions League semi-final and by pulling off several brilliant saves against Liverpool at Anfield last week.
"Oblak thinks that to stop the ball is his job," says Ladislao J. Monino, a journalist with El Pais. "Whenever he has good performances, he always just says that he's there to do that. It's something about his character. He never puts pressure on himself. His sense of tranquillity is striking. It helps with his positioning.
"Of the great goalkeepers in the world at the moment—Ter Stegen, Oblak, Courtois, Alisson—Oblak is the best at positioning himself. If Oblak can clear his area and make a save, he does it, but he also often holds onto the ball. At Atletico, they call him 'Pincers' because he catches so many balls. Every time he can, he gathers the ball. It's a great strength.
"Here's a guy who comes from the Balkans. They've always been known for the high standard of their players—whether it's football or other sports like basketball or handball. Their mentality is perfect for elite competition. It often seems like they're older than their years.
"If you remember, Oblak moved to Benfica as a 17-year-old in 2010. He already had a lot of teams scouting him while he was playing in Slovenia by that stage. Once he got to Portugal, Benfica put him out on loan at Beira-Mar, but he was put straight into their starting XI. He has a lot of personality."
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - MARCH 11: Goalkeeper Jan Oblak of Atletico Madrid during the UEFA Champions League round of 16 second leg match between Liverpool FC and Atletico Madrid at Anfield on March 11, 2020 in Liverpool, United Kingdom. (Photo by Visionhaus)
Oblak finished his Portuguese adventure in 2014 by winning a domestic treble with Benfica, although his team—which included Everton's Andre Gomes and Valencia's pair of Ezequiel Garay and Rodrigo—came up short against Sevilla in a penalty shootout in that season's UEFA Europa League final.
Atletico paid a reported fee of €16 million for him, which made him La Liga's most expensive goalkeeper in history, although it took a while for his train to leave the station. He arrived with a back injury and was unable to nail down a starting position.
"Oblak's beginnings in Madrid were complicated," says Fran Guillen, a Madrid-based author and football journalist. "For months, he was a substitute behind Miguel Angel Moya in his first season at Atletico. He only played 11 league games that season, and when he made his Champions League debut in Greece, playing against Olympiacos [in a 3-2 defeat], he was lousy. It was probably his worst game as an Atletico player.
"Oblak had come as a bet from Andrea Berta, Atletico's sporting director. I remember seeing him in that Benfica team in the 2014 Europa League final against Sevilla, and I have to admit that he seemed like a good goalkeeper, but nothing particularly spectacular. His mission was to make us forget about Thibaut Courtois, who had set the bar very high at Atleti. It seemed like a big ask for him, but he has ended up exceeding it by far."
Oblak has helped Atletico to three trophies, including a UEFA Europa League title in 2018, though the other two are UEFA and Spanish Super Cups that wouldn't be considered major trophies.
In Spain, he's been imperious, having won the prestigious Zamora Trophy—the prize awarded to La Liga's best goalkeeper—for the last four seasons in a row. In November 2018, he became the fastest goalkeeper (178 games) in the history of the Spanish league to reach 100 clean sheets. It took Iker Casillas 306 games, for example, to reach that mark.
"In the France Football Ballon d'Or awards, they included a category for goalkeepers for the first time last year," says Alfredo Relano, honorary president of Diario AS. "I selected Alisson first in the voting and Oblak second.
"They asked us to consider the titles the players had won, as well as their performance in big matches. Allison had won the Champions League with Liverpool [and the Copa America with Brazil]. This year, I will probably put them in a different order.
"The performance of Oblak in Liverpool, for example, gives him such merit when you consider the conditions. It was a very difficult match for him, very demanding. He was under a lot of pressure, but he never lost his composure. He was amazing. He's a sensational goalkeeper."
MADRID, SPAIN - APRIL 22: Coach Diego Simeone of Atletico de Madrid (L) gives instructions to Goalkeeper Jan Oblak of Atletico de Madrid (R) during the La Liga match between Atletico Madrid and Real Betis at Wanda Metropolitano on April 22, 2018 in Madrid
Atletico recognise his value. One of Diego Simeone's criteria for renewing his latest contract as manager was a commitment from the club to hold on to Oblak. When it came to Oblak's own lengthy contract renewal negotiations, Atletico tied him down in 2019 by making him the club's highest-paid player now on its books (although there is some mystery about Joao Felix's exact salary) and by setting Oblak's release clause at €120 million.
"When he signed a large contract renewal last year, it included a promise that Atletico would remain competitive at the highest level," says Guillen. "In addition, the club has emphasised the onus it has in keeping him happy, and in retaining team-mates with whom he feels comfortable alongside, and, even, keeping his agent, Miha Mlakar—who, curiously, is also the representative of [Atletico's young Serbian striker] Ivan Saponjic—happy."
Oblak, 27, has become one of the team's leaders. According to Monino, it is only the symbolism of Koke, with his homegrown "madrileno" roots, that stands in the way of Oblak being made club captain. Oblak exudes a natural authority. He speaks rarely, but his team-mates listen when he does.
His position as a shot-stopper in a team that is built on defence increases his importance to Atletico's project, as alluded to in Simeone's post-match comments after the club's heroic win at Anfield: "Barcelona has Messi who wins matches for them, and we have Oblak, the best goalkeeper in the world, who wins matches for us."
"There have been a few moments where it looked like as if Oblak would leave Atleti," says Euan McTear, author of Hijacking La Liga: How Atletico Madrid Broke Barcelona and Real Madrid's Duopoly on Spanish Football. "The problem for him is that Atletico really need to start winning silverware. It's a similar problem that they had with [Antoine] Griezmann.
"Oblak knows that winning trophies with Atletico would be more special than leaving and winning with, say, Manchester City or Bayern Munich. He knows that staying and winning the Champions League or a league title with Atletico would mean more, but there might come a point where he thinks it's not possible.
"After a few games this season, he was stressing that, 'We need to win trophies; we need a good project.' The reason he stayed last summer was because he was not only given a good contract, but he was promised that Atletico would go sign good players. They tried to do that, but the jury is out on whether they're good enough.
"I'm sure Oblak felt frustrated when there was that stretch in the season where everything was falling apart. [After winning their opening three Liga matches, Atletico won only three of their next 12.] He was looking around and he's got the likes of [new starting left-back] Renan Lodi and he's thinking: Is he going to be the real deal? Can this guy Mario Hermoso be a central defender for Atletico? Is Joao Felix up front going to deliver like Griezmann?
"I'm sure those kinds of thoughts were going through his head at Anfield as well. He must have been thinking: I'm doing all I can, but who's going to go up and score? But at Anfield they did go up and score. With the second Marcos Llorente goal, you can see Oblak sprinted from his own goal all the way to the corner where everybody was celebrating.
"There's a video from a fan in the stands, and you just see this man in yellow sprinting past some of Atletico's midfielders to get there first. You can see how much it means to him."
