1903-1909: Foundation and split "Club Atlético de Madrid" from "Athletic Club (Athletic de Bilbao)".
Atlético de Madrid (known in Germany as "Atlético Madrid" or as "Athletic Madrid") was originally formed in 1903 from the club Athletic de Bilbao (official name "Athletic Club"). Initially, the young Madrilenians were good friends with the players from Bilbao and together they formed a team made up of people from Bilbao and Madrid alike. Although there was no official competition yet, the combined team became champions of their region and were regarded by the public as a strong team.
On 8 April 1903, the players from Bilbao played a game in the Copa del Rey without including a Madrilenian. They won the cup and, in turn, were also the best team in Spain. The people and players from Madrid were very angry that they had not been included and set out to form their own club. On April 26, 1903, they split up and founded a new club called the Athletic Club de Madrid. The membership fee at that time was initially two and a half pesetas. At the same time, an agreement was reached with the Athletic Club from Bilbao that the two clubs should not compete for the time being.
The first board consisted of Enrique Allende (president), Juan Zabala (vice-president), Eduardo Acha (secretary), Enrique Goiri (treasurer) and Javier Pena (vice-secretary). The team's outfit was a two-tone blue and white shirt, vertically separated in the middle, while the Bilbao team wore an all-black or blue shirt at the time.
The Athletic Club de Madrid played its first match on 2 May 1903 behind the "mud walls" of "El Retiro", near Vallecas (the district that is now home to Rayo Vallecano). The team had to share the pitch with other teams from Madrid.
In 1904, "Club Atlético de Madrid" and "Athletic de Bilbao" faced each other for the first time in a friendly match. A result was not determined, as Madrid was still considered part of Athletic Club de Bilbao. On 28 February 1905, they played two matches against each other: first the respective reserve teams, then the first teams. The result was 1-1 in both cases. Madrid's first team at the time included the following players: Valls; Bisbal, Berrahondo; Normand, Lizarraga, Yarza II; Parages, Bisbal II, Plats, Revuelta and Yarza.
On December 2, 1903, there were even three games against each other, which ended as follows:
- Athletic - Madrid: 1:0
- Madrid - Athletic: 2:0
- Athletic - Madrid: 5:0
20 February 1907 is considered an important date, as on that day Club Atlético de Madrid was considered completely independent from Athletic Club de Bilbao. The Spanish federation officially confirmed this event. The entire board of directors was replaced and henceforth consisted of Ricardo de la Gronda (president), Ramón de Arencibia (vice-president), Abdon de Alaiza (secretary), Pío García Novoa (vice-secretary), Tomas Murga (treasurer), Hermenegildo García (accountant). The status of independence from Bilbao meant that the clubs no longer had to maintain good relations with each other and each could go its own way.
1910-1919: change of jersey colours in 1911, new stadium "Estadio de O'Donnell" in 1913 and first step towards professionalism in 1919
In 1911, shortly before Athletic Bilbao also took the step, Madrid changed their shirt colours: from blue and white to red and white, vertical stripes and blue shorts. Juan Elorduy, a director at the club and also a player, voted for the stripes at the time; ironically, these colours were later adopted by Athletic Bilbao. The first match in the new colours took place on 22 December for a trophy donated by Manuel Rodríguez Arzuaga. The presidency changed again on 29 November 1912, when Julián Ruete Vinuesa took over. His enormous commitment and good work in the club's management allowed the club to grow steadily and even ensured that a new stadium could be built.
The first match in the new "Estadio de O'Donnell" could be played on 9 February 1913. The pitch was located at the junction of O'Donnell Street / Ibiza Street and to the side of Narváez and Lope de Rueda streets. In fact, it was the first fenced pitch in Spain and could accommodate a total of 10,000 spectators, a luxury in those days. In addition to the football pitch, there were two tennis courts and one each for hockey and baseball.
In 1913 and 1914 Athletic de Madrid had a good team that achieved many triumphs. In two games against Sevilla they scored 19 goals and beat Sporting Lisbon 3-1; Real Madrid lost most of their direct duels at that time.
Important players of this era were Beguiristain, Iturbe, Belaunde, Buylla, Villaverde, Muguruza. However, the team was unlucky in the 1916 championship, when Athletic Madrid faced Real Madrid (with players like Goicoechea, Iureta, Santiago Bernabéu, and Montenegro) and lost 3-2, also because of the referee's dubious decisions, as was said at the time. Some Athletic fans even tried to attack the referee.
The differences between Real Madrid and Atlético de Madrid were already quite pronounced at the time, although it was mostly a 'fair' rivalry of a sporting nature. A case in point was the loan deal for player Luis Belaunde, who left Athletic for Real before the Copa del Rey semi-final.
In 1917, Atlético de Madrid did not fare so well, losing many games against Real and Athletic Bilbao. A year later things were looking up again, thanks mainly to the outstanding Manuel Gomar, who played a decisive role in the victory over Real in 1918. Athletic de Bilbao were also beaten in a friendly match, and Atlético de Madrid were once again among the best teams in the country.
The first step towards increasing professionalism in Spanish football was taken in 1919, when Atlético hired the English football coach Pentland, who managed to mould a large number of players in the B team and later successfully integrated the players into the first team.
1920-1929: New stadium "Estadio del Metropolitano" 1923 and debut in the Spanish Football League 1926/27
In 1920, a Spanish football team won the Olympic silver medal; an integral part of the team was Atlético's Pancho Belauste. Another English coach, Hayes, took over the first team and was joined at the back by the legendary player of the day.
In 1922, the main objective was to take part in the regional championship, which the team did. On 13 May 1923, the new Metropolitan stadium was inaugurated with a friendly match against Real Sociedad (2-1).
In 1924 a new match was created: "Copa del Madrid". The match between Atlético and Real Madrid was lost 2:6, Real Madrid also won the regional championship that year.
The following year, Athletic triumphed in the regional championship and this success allowed them to participate in the Copa del Rey, where they faced FC Barcelona in the semi-finals. In Barcelona, the team lost 3-2, while Atlético won 2-1 at home. However, FC Barcelona won the deciding match to determine the finalist in Zaragoza.
Atlético finished the 1925/26 season in second place in the regional championship. The Spanish federation increased the number of participants in the Copa del Rey, so Athletic were allowed to compete again. After defeating Cartagena FC and Betis Sevilla, they faced Celta de Vigo in the semi-finals. Again, Madrid won 3-2 to reach the final for the first time.
On 16 May 1926, Athletic faced FC Barcelona in Valencia with the following team: Javier Barroso; Pololo, Alfonso Olaso; Marin, Tuduri, Burdiel; De Miguel, Triana, Palacios, Cosme and Luis Olaso. They were already 2-0 up after goals from Palacios and Cosme before FC Barcelona levelled at 2-2. Palacios restored the lead eight minutes from time, but the goal was disallowed by the referee as Luis Olaso was deemed to have crossed the byline with the ball. In stoppage time, Paulino scored to give FC Barcelona a 3-2 lead.
In the run-up to the 1926/27 season, the Spanish clubs met to discuss the creation of an English-style football league. The Spanish association envisaged three leagues, each with nine clubs, to be organised along geographical lines. On 23 November 1928, this agreement was put into writing. The first division was henceforth made up of ten teams: the six winners of the Copa España, the three finalists (one of whom was Athletic) and the winner of a play-off match.
This first division was represented by Athletic Bilbao, FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, Arenas Club de Getxo, Real Unión Irún, Real Sociedad San Sebastián, Espanyol Barcelona, Athletic Madrid, CE Europa and Racing Santander, while the second division featured Valencia FC, Celta Vigo, Deportivo La Coruña, Sevilla FC, Real Oviedo, Sporting Gijón, Iberia, Deportivo Alavés, Betis Sevilla and Racing Club de Madrid.
Athletic started this first league season with the following team: Martínez, Messeger, Hucha, Urcelay; A. Moriones, Alfonso Olaso; Zulueta, Lafuente, Santos, Ordonez, Arteaga, Arcadio; Lecube, Marin, Palacios, Cosme, Luis Olaso, Arete Illera, Vazquez, De Miguel, Gonzalez, Mazarrosa, Zabala and Conde. On 10 February 1929, this new league kicked off and Athletic Madrid won the first game - at Bilbao - 3-2, finishing 6th in the league. At the end of the following season 1929/30, the last place in the final table meant relegation to the Segunda Division.
1930-1939: Civil war 1936, merger to "Athletic Aviación Club" 1939 and first championship title
Athletic finished their first season in the Segunda level on points with Sevilla in second place; three points behind Valencia, who were promoted as a result.
Expectations were very high before the 1931/32 season, as Arteche, a top player, had been bought for 20,000 pesetas (an enormous sum for the time). Nevertheless, the team could not meet the expectations and as a consequence the president resigned on 30 November 1931.
Before the 1932/33 season, the new president appointed Antonio de Miguel as the new coach. His task was to lead the team to first place and thus promotion to the Primera Division. Although the team played a good round overall, the goal was missed and Oviedo were promoted by three points.
The following season, Sevilla won the title, while Athletic again finished only 2nd, three points off the top. However, as the Spanish federation decided to increase the first division to twelve clubs on 16 July 1934, Athletic were also promoted and celebrated their comeback in the Primera División.
The first year after the return to the highest division was finished with the 7th place in the table.
Before the 1935/36 season Athletic had an exhausting preparation with test matches in Argentina and Brazil and were in 12th place in the table for the season.
In 1936, the Spanish Civil War began. As a consequence, no official, officiated football matches could be played until 1939. Shortly before the 1939 playing year was to begin, Athletic found that there were insufficient funds to field a team for play. Players could not be paid and everything pointed to automatic relegation from the First Division. In this situation, the club heard about a team made up of soldiers from the Air Force, who were a good team but did not get the approval from the Spanish federation to play in the first division. After some discussions and rounds of negotiations, an agreement was reached in 1939 to merge the two teams of Athletic and Aviacion, which then operated as Athletic Aviación Club.
The first season after the civil war Athletic Madrid had to start in the second league, because the last regular ended championship round only on the 11th place. Since Oviedo could not compete due to problems with their pitch, they asked for exemption by the federation for one season. The now vacant starting spot was to be awarded to the winner of the deciding match between Athletic Aviación and Osasuna. The match was played in Valencia on 26 November and Athletic Aviación won 3-1.
In the following first league season, Athletic Aviación won the championship title - for the first time in the club's history - with a one-point lead over Sevilla.
1940-1949: Name change "Club Atlético de Madrid" 1946, transfer policy and national title decisions
One season later, in 1940/41, Athletic won the title again. Striker Pruden Sánchez also won the goalscoring crown. Due to the ban on foreign names, Athletic changed its name to "Club Atlético de Aviación" in January 1941. Manuel Gallego became the new club president.
The following season, Pruden Sánchez was no longer available to the club as Atlético did not offer him a new contract. He left for UD Salamanca, leaving a gap that the other attackers could not fill. As a result, Atlético finished the season in third place.
For the 1942/43 season, Atlético brought in two players from Hércules Alicante: Adrover and José Luis Riera, who made a name for himself as a burly defender. Despite this, Atlético only finished eighth in the league. In terms of infrastructure, the season saw the renovation of the stadium, where a new pitch was laid and an athletics track installed.
After some new signings found their way to Atlético for the 1943/44 season, success returned and the club finished second behind champions Valencia. The following season Atlético finished third. Another setback came in the 1945/46 season, when the team only finished 7th in the table.
In 1946 Juan Touzón became the new president of the association. On 14 December of the same year, the Spanish Air Force Ministry requested that the club give up the use of the "Aviación" part of its name. The club's management thanked the Air Force for the years of cooperation and unanimously decided to change the name to "Club Atlético de Madrid". The name change took effect on 14 January 1947 and also brought with it a new club crest, reminiscent of the original one from 1917. Meanwhile, in the league, another third place in the final standings jumped out. In 1947 Cesáreo Galíndez became president of Atlético.
Expectations were high in 1947/48 as Atlético set a new transfer record (450,000 pesetas) with the purchase of Vidal. The team largely lived up to expectations, finishing third behind Celta Vigo and FC Barcelona.
Before the 1948 season kicked off, Atlético strengthened with Marcel Domingo, considered the best French goalkeeper at the time. They also brought in the 'black pearl' Larbi Ben Barek, a talented Moroccan. Many defeats in key games prevented a better result, and in addition Antonio Vidal had to end his career. A somewhat disappointing fourth place was the result at the end of the season.
Before the following season, another break took place - in addition to some player purchases, a new coach was hired in Helenio Herrera, who was given the clear task of "winning the title". The highlight of this season was the spectacular 6-6 draw against Athletic de Bilbao. Thanks to the work of Herrera (also known as "Magic H.") and a Larbi Ben Barek in top form, the team, which played convincingly overall, won the title.
1950-1959: Various decisions in national competitions
On 15 April 1950 the then president Cesáreo Galindez Sanchez bought the "Estadio del Metropolitano" for 11.8 million pesetas (equivalent to about 70 million euros).
Once again, in the 1950/51 season, the title was defended, the result of a team that played as if unleashed. In addition, the "Martini-Rossi" cup was won, which was played between the team with the most goals scored and the fewest goals conceded.
Atlético subsequently let some players go and failed to provide equivalent replacements. The goalkeeper position was not properly filled or underestimated. Despite the fact that the goalkeepers were constantly injured and consequently could never reach their true performance potential, the purchase of new goalkeepers was dispensed with. This was probably also a reason for the somewhat disappointing 4th place at the end of the season.
In the following season, many injuries to key players again prevented a better result than 7th place. In the following two seasons, no improvement in performance could be recorded; in the final account, it was ultimately only enough for 9th and 8th place.
In 1954 Atlético began to gradually improve the comfort of the stadium. The first section was completed on 19 September.
After Atlético had finished 5th for two seasons in a row, one of the measures implemented to bring the team back to the top was the transfer of Hungarian player Peter, who joined the team before the 1957/58 season. As a result, Atlético returned to winning ways and finished second, three points behind Real Madrid.
The final years of the 1950s were marked by efforts to build a "star team". Proof of the great ambitions was the transfer of the exceptional Brazilian player Edval Izidio Neto, known as "Vavá". He was a striker for the Brazilian national team that won the 1958 World Cup in Sweden.
Due to the fact that Real Madrid won both the European and the national cup, Atlético were also allowed to play on the European stage as runners-up. The first match against Irish champions Drumcondra FC was won 8-0.
Before the start of the 1959/60 season, Atlético strengthened with new players in order to make the team more balanced across the board and ready for new tasks. However, the team finished the season in 5th place. On 26 June Atlético faced perennial rivals Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey final, winning 3-1.
1960-1969: First European Cup win in 1962 and various domestic titles
The following season Atlético finished in second place behind Real Madrid. The Copa del Rey final was also played between the two teams; Atlético won 3-2.
Atlético finished the 1961/62 season in third place, but won the European Cup Winners' Cup. After successful games against Sedan, Leicester, Bremen and Motor Jena, they faced AC Florence in the final. The Glasgow final ended 1-1; the decider in Stuttgart - and the first European Cup in the club's history - was won 3-0 by Atlético.
The year after this triumph, Atlético finished the 1962/63 season in second place. In the Cup Winners' Cup, where the defending champions were automatically eligible, the club reached the final. The final was played on 15 May 1963 against Tottenham Hotspur in Rotterdam, with the English side winning 5-1.
During the 1963/64 season, a change in the club's leadership took place, with Vicente Calderón Perez-Cavada becoming Atlético's new president. Also in this year Luis Aragonés appeared in the team squad for the first time. The season finished in 7th place.
On 6 January 1965 Atlético celebrated the departure of Alberto Callejo, who had played for the club for 15 years and had also been a Spanish international.
When Atlético faced Juventus Torino in the semi-finals of the Fairs Cup, the two matches ended in a 3-1 win and a 1-3 defeat. As a result, there was a deciding match, which took place in Turin and was lost 2-0 by Atlético. After a second-place finish that season, the club went on to win the Copa del Rey by beating Zaragoza 2-0.
In the 1965/66 season Atlético failed to beat Borussia Dortmund in the quarter-finals of the Cup Winners' Cup. In the league Atlético won the title.
Atlético failed to achieve their goal of defending the title the next season. In the 1967/68 season Atlético sold the star striker Mendoza to FC Barcelona, which drew large protests from the fan community. The end result was a 6th place finish, as in the 1968/69 season.
For the 1969/70 season, former goalkeeper Marcel Domingo was hired as the new coach and immediately won the league title.
1970-1979: Stadium renamed "Estadio Vicente Calderón", European Cup Final 1974 and World Cup 1975
In the 1970/71 season, Atlético finished in third place and were eliminated in the semi-finals of the European Champion Clubs' Cup by Ajax Amsterdam.
On 14 July 1971, the decision was made to rename the stadium the Estadio Vicente Calderón. The official inauguration took place on 23 May 1972 with an international match between Spain and Uruguay.
The following season, 1971/72, ended with fourth place in the league and victory in the Copa del Rey. The final took place on 8 July against Valencia, scorers in the 2-1 win were Salcedo and Garate.
The seventh championship in the club's history was won in the 1972/73 season. In the following European Cup season, the club reached the final against FC Bayern München. As no goal was scored in the first 90 minutes, extra time followed, which ended in a draw after a free-kick goal by Luis Aragonés in the 114th minute and FC Bayern equalised with a long-range shot by Georg Schwarzenbeck five minutes later. The replay two days later was won 4-0 by FC Bayern, who also finished second in the league.
In 1974/75 Atlético failed to reach the desired level and finished the season in 6th place. Once again the final of the Copa del Rey was reached, where local rival Real Madrid prevailed. Nevertheless, a World Cup title was won in 1974, as Bayern Munich decided not to take part.
At least it was enough for the third place in 1975/76, at the same time the Copa del Rey was won again (against Zaragoza in the final). In the European Cup Winners' Cup 1977 the way led to the semi-finals, where they then failed to Hamburger SV. In the same year they won the title again, the eighth in the club's history.
In the quarter-finals of the 1977/78 National Champions Cup, FC Brugge prevailed 4-3. Madrid finished the season in 6th place and failed to qualify for the European Cup again. However, the following season, a final 3rd place finish led to qualification for the UEFA Cup.
In the 1979/80 season, the team was eliminated in the first round of the UEFA Cup and finished only 13th in the championship.
1980-1989: European Cup final 1986 and beginning of the Jesús Gil era 1987
Before the 1980/81 season there were some changes in the team due to the previous poor placings. The result was a third place in the league. Once again, the team qualified for the UEFA Cup. However, Madrid were knocked out in the first round by Portuguese side Boavista. An eighth place in the league was not convincing either.
Once again Atlético were eliminated in the first round of the UEFA Cup. The Dutch representative FC Groningen proved to be better in two games than the favored Madrilenians. In the league, however, Atlético finished 4th and qualified for the European Cup once again. In 1984/85 the team did not reach more than the 1st round of the UEFA Cup. Nevertheless, it was a good season, because the Copa del Rey was won and you landed in the championship on a good 2nd place.
Atlético had more success in the European Cup Winners' Cup. The final was reached and on 2 May Dynamo Kiev awaited in Lyon. The men of legendary coach Valery Lobanovsky were superior to the Rojiblancos, winning the title 3-0 in what is now the Ukrainian capital (then the USSR). The strain of the European Cup left its mark on the league, with no more than a fifth-place finish possible.
The year 1987 marked a turning point for the entire club. Firstly, presidential idol Vicente Calderón died and Javier Castedo Alvarez briefly took over as club president. However, Jesús Gil won the presidential election on 27 June, ushering in a new era.
Gil's aim was to build an even stronger team, and to this end the Brazilian attacker Baltazar was signed from league rivals Celta Vigo before the 1988/89 season. However, the signing proved less than successful, and once again the Manzanares failed to win a title, although the team was not far off doing so.
1990-1999: Championship title, cup, participation in the UEFA Champions League and the bitter relegation
Not a title, but a world record was set by Atlético in the 1990/91 season. Goalkeeper Abel Resino went 1275 minutes without conceding a goal, beating the old record set by Italian goalkeeping legend Dino Zoff. Resino's record still stands today. Meanwhile, Jesús Gil maintained his policy of bringing top-class players to the Estadio Vicente Calderón. Alongside top players such as Bernd Schuster, the club also made a surprise signing of Austrian Gerhard Rodax, who finished the 1989/90 season as Europe's third-best goalscorer with 35 goals. Their first successes were evident in 1991 when they won the Copa del Rey, beating Mallorca 1-0, and finished runners-up. Striker Manolo also won the Pichichi Trophy as the league's top scorer with 27 goals.
The cup was defended in the following season 1991/92 by beating Real Madrid 2-0.
In July 1992, the professional players' division was spun off and the addition of "S.A.D." (Sociedad Anónima Deportiva) was added to the club name. The complete name of the club was henceforth "Club Atlético de Madrid S.A.D.". On 17 September 1992, one of the greatest players in Atlético's history, Larbi Ben Barek, nicknamed the "black pearl", died.
The 1993/94 and 1994/95 seasons remained without any outstanding events. In 1995, Gil brought in Serbian Radomir Antić and restructured the team once again. The team started well in the league with nine wins and two draws, maintained the lead and secured the championship ahead of FC Barcelona. Atlético also won the Copa del Rey that season, completing the double.
In the 1996/97 season Atlético played for the first time in the Champions League, which was founded in 1992. The first group stage was mastered confidently, in the quarter-finals the team was eliminated after a 1:1 in the first leg and a 2:3 home defeat after extra time against Ajax Amsterdam. The league finished in third place.
The signing of Italian Arrigo Sacchi as coach soon turned out to be a mistake. The tactician, who was considered stubborn, was not well received by the team and was universally disliked by fans and the surrounding area. When qualification for the European Cup threatened to fail in the spring, Sacchi was sacked and Radomir Antić returned. However, even he could not turn things around and Atlético finished 13th in the league. Qualification for Europe came via the cup, where Atlético only failed in the final against Valencia. In the same season, they reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup again, losing to AC Parma.
Before the 1999/2000 season, Gil brought in another Italian coach, Claudio Ranieri. Despite players like Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink or Rubén Baraja, a bad season followed: The team slid into the relegation zone early on and coach Ranieri was without an apparent concept during this time. In addition, the board was unable to act during the season, as Jesús Gil was forced out of the club for various offences and replaced by a receiver. These incidents overshadowed the sporting decline and always brought unrest to the team. At the beginning of March, Ranieri, standing in 17th place, was sacked. Once again, Radomir Antić was signed, thus beginning his third tenure at Atlético. However, he failed to win in eleven league games. In the UEFA Cup, there was a knockout against RC Lens in the round of 16. Already relegated, they lost the Copa del Rey final to Espanyol.
2000-2011: The resurgence, departure of Jesús Gil and Europa League title in 2010
In the 2000/01 season, Atlético started their planned resurgence in the Segunda División. Jesús Gil did not accept Radomir Antić's offer to work for free and installed Zambrano as coach. New players with a lot of experience arrived to make the promotion from the Segunda Division perfect, as all the big stars had left the club. The slide continued, winning only one of the first seven games. By October, Atlético were in a relegation spot. The fall into the third division was, at that point, no longer considered out of the question. Zambrano was sacked and replaced by Marcos Alonso Peña. The following transfer period saw the arrival of new players and the installation of a sporting director in the form of fan idol Futre, who helped turn things around. Atlético went on a winning streak and, within a few weeks, were within touching distance of the promotion places, a feat no longer thought possible. However, there was a change of coach, with Cantarero coming in as the coach of the B team. Under Cantarero, the team did not lose any of its last seven games, but it was still not enough to win promotion. Betis and Tenerife could not be caught, the decisive last game Tenerife won at Leganes.
A new attempt at a league return came in the 2001/02 season, with top players Hugo Leal and top scorer Salva sold and some first-team experience brought in by Paulo Futre. The new coach was once again Luis Aragonés, who became the big hope. Atlético got off to a good start to the season, topping the table on matchday 9 and never relinquishing it. The gap between Atlético and the non-promoted teams was steadily widened, and by March promotion was as good as certain. A series of defeats (among others 1:5 in Elche) again raised doubts, which proved to be groundless in the end. By the end of April, promotion was virtually certain and planning for the new season could begin early.
The 2002/03 season was all about the 100th birthday, with celebrations and promotions spread over a year culminating on 26 April 2003, the club's 100th birthday day. Before the season, experienced players were bought to give the team a first league touch. Sporting objectives remained modest following the return to promotion, with the primary goal of not being involved in the relegation battle being achieved throughout. Unfortunately, turbulence in the board and sporting management clouded the mood. The negative highlight of the disputes was the resignation of coach Luis Aragones. In addition, Enrique Cerezo formally took over as president. However, he too had difficulties in uniting the various interest groups.
The 2003/04 season saw the arrival of Gregorio Manzano from Mallorca as the new coach, who also brought in a number of new players. However, the high expectations were not met, the team drove away the fans with unattractive defensive football. Even sporadic winning streaks, as in the late autumn of 2003, did little to improve the mood. After all ambitions of reaching the European Cup had been squandered in the spring, the board decided not to extend Gregorio Manzano's contract. This very mediocre season was overshadowed by two defeats in the derby against Real Madrid and the death of Jesús Gil. The long-time president succumbed to a brain tumour. Despite all the differences, there were moving farewell scenes for a man who undoubtedly loved his club. Even after the end of this era, there was no peace on the board. An opposition group called "Alternativa Atlética" was formed, which was willing to take over the majority of shares - unsuccessfully to date.
The 2004/05 season saw the arrival of another new man, Cesar Ferrando, whose first task was to prove himself in the UI Cup. The longed-for dream of the UEFA Cup was shattered when the team lost the penalty shootout against Villarreal. In the league, they established themselves as one of the top teams, even staying at the top of the table for a while, but the good starts didn't last long. Especially in the away games they didn't get enough points. This led to a drop into the middle of the table, including growing criticism of the coach. In contrast to previous years, at least the defence made a solid impression, but the attacking side only produced a few highlights. A week-long lurch between hope and fear, or Champions League and no-man's land, put those responsible to the test and, at the latest, when the "must-win games", such as those at Numancia or Osasuna, went to pot, the trend finally pointed downwards. As a result of the increasingly obvious decline in form of the few real performers, such as Torres or Perea, even the home games were lost, the mood in the club tipped into the negative. When the semi-final of the Copa del Rey, against CA Osasuna, denied them the last chance of a European exit, the understandable frustration of the supporters was vented in catcalls and booing towards the players. The sad climax was the storming of the Majadahonda training ground by some ultra-fans, who even threatened violence against some of the players. Rumours of a possible sale of the Estadio Vicente Calderón also further inflamed the atmosphere around the Manzanares. As a consequence of what can best be described as a "season of missed opportunities", the club parted company with coach Cesar Ferrando and a number of players.
The 2005/06 season saw the arrival of multiple World Coach of the Year Carlos Bianchi, who, along with the club's management, had set himself the goal of returning the club to the top within two years. Although a number of big-name players, including Martin Petrow and Maxi Rodríguez, were signed, the ambitious project quickly turned into a failure. Injuries and last-minute goals quickly turned the good start to the season into the opposite, and Atlético Madrid soon found themselves in the grey midfield. Although the board and fans stood by the coach despite the unsatisfactory results, the problems between Bianchi and the team soon became impossible to ignore. After a series of bankruptcies at the beginning of 2006, Bianchi was finally fired, which he took with a great deal of incomprehension. He was succeeded by the former coach of the B team, José "Pepe" Murcia, who got on far better with the team and, after an impressive series of victories, including a win at FC Barcelona in the Nou Camp, rekindled hopes of a place in the European Cup. However, as in previous years, the supposedly decisive games ended in defeats, and the final tally was once again a lowly tenth. The end of Pepe Murcia was therefore sealed, and half a dozen players had to start looking for new challenges.
For the 2006/07 season, Atlético Madrid appointed Mexican Javier Aguirre as head coach, who had led provincial club CA Osasuna to CL qualification the previous season. As usual, the Rojiblancos made their move in the transfer market. For the record transfer fee of 23 million euros, the Argentine Sergio Agüero, who was praised as an exceptional talent, arrived from CA Independiente. Costinha, Maniche and Seitaridis (all from Dynamo Moscow) were also brought in as internationally experienced players. Mista (FC Valencia), a former Spanish international, and Jurado, a former youth international, joined the club from neighbours Real Madrid. The goal was again to reach the Champions League, but the strong competition and too many lost home games, also against relegated teams like Celta de Vigo, marked one of the weakest second rounds in history, which ended with a disappointing 7th place, which was still enough to reach the UI-Cup. The future of some players and the coach was uncertain, but finally Aguirre was trusted for another season.
The 2007/08 campaign was characterised by defensive woes, while the strike duo of Sergio Agüero and Diego Forlán more than made up for the departure of Fernando Torres to Liverpool. The team scored 66 goals and managed to score four or more in six matches. Away from that appeal, there were the usual ups and downs, with glittering victories against Barcelona and at Sevilla, for example, along with classic defeats at the hands of the league's backbenchers. Thanks to a final spurt that was hardly thought possible, as well as various mistakes by the competition, the club still managed to finish in 4th place, which entitled them to participate in the CL qualifiers and brought them very close to the big football stage. In the UEFA Cup, however, the club only advanced to the last 32, where they lost to Bolton Wanderers after two poor games.
The main focus for the 2008/09 season was on strengthening the defence, with Tomáš Ujfaluši and Johnny Heitinga joining the squad with international experience. Grégory Coupet was also brought in to compete with Leo Franco for the starting berth in goal. Before the domestic season even got underway, Atlético put their first stamp of approval on their return to the top flight after 12 years with a 4-0 win over Schalke in the CL qualifiers. They did more than well there, not losing a game in the group stage and almost beating Liverpool FC at Anfield Road. It wasn't until the round of 16 that FC Porto put the stop sign by drawing two games due to the away goals rule. However, despite another string of high-scoring games, their league form deteriorated and coach Javier Aguirre was sacked at the start of February and replaced by former keeper Abel Resino. Resino finally turned things around and, thanks to a run of six wins in six games, the club qualified for the CL once again.
Reinforced by U-21 international Sergio Asenjo and national defender Juanito, but otherwise largely unchanged in terms of personnel, the 2009/10 season went well, with Atlético once again advancing to the CL group stage via Panathinaikos in qualifying. There, Atlético were eliminated by Chelsea FC and FC Porto, but finished 3rd ahead of APOEL Nicosia and went on to play in the UEFA Europa League. However, the start to the league was weaker than in any season since promotion, and the club found themselves permanently in the second half of the table. This was the reason why Abel Resino was replaced by Quique Sánchez Flores, who at least managed to secure a place in the Copa del Rey final. In the UEFA Europa League, Atletico reached the final with just two wins from eight games, beating Valencia FC and Liverpool FC, among others. In the final in Hamburg, they defeated English side Fulham 2-1 after extra time, Diego Forlan scoring twice to secure their first European Cup triumph in 48 years. They also won the UEFA Super Cup against Champions League winners Inter Milan with goals from José Antonio Reyes and Sergio Agüero.
The 2010/11 season finished in seventh place in the table.
Since 2011: The Simeone era
For the 2011/12 season, Quique Sánchez Flores left the club and Gregorio Manzano became Atlético's head coach for the second time. However, Manzano had already been sacked in December 2011 due to a series of failures. This was preceded by, among other things, an early exit in the cup due to two defeats against third division side Albacete. The new coach was Argentine Diego Simeone, a former midfielder with the Rojiblancos. With Simeone, Atlético won the UEFA Europa League again in 2012, beating Athletic Bilbao 3-0 in the final. Atlético also won the UEFA Super Cup for the second time that year with a 4-1 victory over Chelsea FC. After fluctuating through almost the entire first half of the season, Atlético managed to stabilise their performances in the second half of the campaign. Despite 12 defeats, the team finished in 5th place and qualified for the Europa League.
As reigning champions, Atletico again competed in the UEFA Europa League in the 2012/13 season. In the group stage they faced Viktoria Pilsen, Academica Coimbra and Hapoel Tel Aviv. After four wins from six matches, the team qualified for the third round, where it was defeated by Russian club Rubin Kazan. There was cause for celebration at the end of the season nonetheless as the Rojiblancos won the Spanish Cup, defeating Real Madrid 2-1 after extra time in the final. They also finished in a strong 3rd place in the league, which was tantamount to qualifying for the group stages of the Champions League next season.
The 2013/14 season was to be the most successful in the Simeone era to date. For the first time since 1996, Atlético Madrid won the Spanish championship and also reached the Champions League final for the second time 40 years after losing in 1974. In a highly dramatic final game of the season, a 1-1 draw at FC Barcelona was enough to secure their 10th league title. If they had lost, the Catalans would have been champions. However, a week later they lost the Champions League final to city rivals Real Madrid. In the final in Lisbon, Atlético took the lead, but in injury time Real managed to draw 1-1. In extra time, Atlético conceded three more goals for a final score of 1:4.
The new season saw the departure of goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, defender Filipe Luís and striker Diego Costa to Chelsea FC, with the former on loan from the Londoners at the end of his contract. Adrián López and Óliver Torres left for FC Porto while José Ernesto Sosa, who was only on loan, returned to Metalist Kharkiv. Brazilian Diego Ribas da Cunha, who had been on loan at Atlético during the 2011/12 season and was signed during the winter break, also left the club on a free transfer. Sergio Asenjo was sold to Villarreal FC. Prominent new arrivals included Slovenian goalkeeper Jan Oblak from Benfica Lisbon, Mario Mandžukić from Bayern Munich and Frenchman Antoine Griezmann from Real Sociedad San Sebastián.
After a 1-0 home semi-final win over FC Bayern München and a 2-1 defeat in the return leg in Munich, Atlético Madrid reached the 2015/16 UEFA Champions League final on the away goals rule, again facing city rivals Real Madrid. After a 1-1 draw after 120 minutes, Atlético lost the match 3-5 on penalties.
The following year, the club faced Real Madrid in the semi-finals of the Champions League for the fourth year in a row. They lost the first leg 3-0 with a Cristiano Ronaldo hat-trick and won the second leg 2-1, but it wasn't enough and they were knocked out of the competition by their city rivals, as they had been the previous three years. They finished third in the league and reached the semi-finals of the Spanish Cup, where they lost to FC Barcelona.
In the 2017/18 UEFA Champions League, Atletico Madrid missed out on the round of 16 for the first time under Simeone, but advanced to the UEFA Europa League by finishing 3rd in their group. There they reached the final and won this competition for the second time under Simeone, beating Olympique Marseille 3-0. In the league, they finished runners-up in Spain for the first time under Diego Simeone as coach. Atletico Madrid also won the 2018 UEFA Super Cup, defeating Champions League winners and city rivals Real Madrid 4-2 after extra time.
The 2020/21 season would see Atlético return to the top of Spanish football after seven years. They were knocked out of the UEFA Champions League in the round of 16 by Chelsea FC and suffered a surprise defeat to Spanish third division side UE Cornella in the second round of the Copa del Rey, but were crowned Spanish champions for the eleventh time since the 2013/14 season. They had to secure the triumph on the last matchday of the season with a 1-2 win against Real Valladolid, which left local rivals Real Madrid as runners-up behind Atlético.
