Atletico Madrid will play against Barcelona on Sunday as the best team in Spain and Europe in terms of points gained in the second half of the season, but even if they beat them, they will still be 10 points behind.
With just nine games left it may be too late to catch the runaway leaders, but the club have unveiled ambitious plans for a new ‘City of Sport’ complex next to their stadium, which could take them outside Barcelona for years to come .
While Barça will have to play in a 49,000 capacity stadium for the next season and a half while Camp Nou is being demolished and redeveloped, Atletico say their Civitis Metropolitano stadium has already been paid for.
And while Barcelona have struggled to borrow a further €1.5bn (£1.3bn) for the new Camp Nou and surrounding facilities, Atletico have unveiled plans for a new Sports City complex next to their ground, including a state-of-the-art practice area, an artificial beach with a swimming pool the size of three football fields for surfing, and a ‘TopGolf’ driving range.
Madrid is about four hours from the coast, but the waves and sand, plus the high-performance training center for the players, should all be finished by 2025 as Atletico pushes the limits of their 69,000-capacity stadium and country which is leased to by the local authorities for the next 75 years.
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Fernando Fariza, the club’s director of operations, told Mail Sport: “We built a stadium five years ago for €330 million and that didn’t stop us from participating. It’s understandable that fans wanted to kill us when we moved from the Vicente Calderon for taking them away from their home. But there was no choice.”
The beloved old ground had a main road running below it and a river running along it. There was limited room to expand.
Now in their new home on the outskirts of the city, Atletico are using the money from the CVC investment fund they received in exchange for future TV rights revenues in a deal signed by La Liga two years ago, to build what they believe will be the most comprehensive sports facility in Europe.
The new project can be seen as a gift to Atletico fans for leaving the city, but it also offers an opportunity to take advantage of the return of football tourism after the pandemic.
“People will still go to the Santiago Bernabeu, but we want them to visit us,” Fariza said.
The club should complete the new project by 2025, when Barcelona also hope to have completed ‘Espai Barça’, their €980m (£863m) redevelopment of the ground and surrounding area.
But while Barca will face a €94 million (£83 million) matchday loss next season as they have to leave their old ground, Atletico already have their stadium in place.
Atlético will expand the boundaries of their 69,000-seat Wanda Metropolitano stadium
The Sports City complex, including a state-of-the-art training ground and artificial beach, is expected to be completed by 2025
The new off-field development should change the team’s attitude towards trophies. “We don’t have an obligation to win the league like the rest,” midfielder Rodrigo de Paul said when asked why they are still so far off pace after such a brilliant second half of the season.
Atletico’s second half of the season has been so impressive that there is now no doubt whether or not Diego Simeone will move on to next season.
“We never doubted that this is his home. The club never wavered. We knew he would still be here this season and next season,” said De Paul.
When Simeone leaves, the club has made little secret of its desire to promote Fernando Torres to the first team. He is currently impressing as coach of the youth team at the club.
Diego Sánchez, head of business development, said: “He is already a coach here and we would of course be more than happy if he became a first-team coach at some point in the future. Every fan would like to see that when they are ready and when the time is right. At the moment, of course, we are happy with Diego Simeone. He is part of our history and evolution. He helped us grow. He created the identity we have.’
As well as Simeone being in his 11th year and feeling they may already have his eventual replacement at the club, Atletico also have the most votes for LaLiga Player of the Season in Antoine Griezmann.
The player they got from Barcelona this season has been outstanding with more goals than any other player. De Paul compared him to his international teammate Lionel Messi.
He said: ‘They play in the same position between the lines and with freedom. They lead the attacks.
Diego Simeone now looks certain to stay with Atletico following their impressive recent form
Rodrigo De Paul has praised Antoine Griezmann, comparing him to Argentine star Lionel Messi
“The hard thing in football is to do the easy thing well. He [Griezmann] has that ability. He does the simple things well and that’s why he’s one of the best players in the world.’
Asked if Barcelona would make a mistake if they re-sign Messi in the summer, De Paul had no doubts about the 35-year-old.
He added, “How can it be a mistake? He can keep playing as long as he wants. His genius is in his intelligence and he loses none of that.’
If Sunday’s meeting between Atletico Madrid and Barcelona takes shape with a victory for Simeone’s team, they will close the gap to the leaders and Real Madrid in the battle for second place. Off the field, it seems like the gap is already narrowing.
Watch Atletico Madrid take on FC Barcelona on Sunday, April 23 on Viaplay 1. The broadcast starts at 3 p.m.