D. Simeone compared the difficulties of playing against L. Messi and the 'Barcelona' led by L. Yamal.

2026-04-15 18:45 © REUTERS

Madrid's Atletico club head coach Diego Simeone did not hide his joy at reaching the Champions League semifinals:

"Eliminating the Barcelona team in the Champions League quarterfinals is not easy.

We have previously met Lionel Messi's Barca, and this time we succeeded against Lamine Yamal’s led team.”

"I’ve been here for fourteen years. Seeing how the team plays still fills me with emotions.

Players have changed, we have started from scratch many times, and we are again among the four best teams in Europe.

It’s great to play in the Champions League semifinals.”

Madrid's Atletico club reached the semifinals for the first time in nine years.

Diego Simeone has reached this stage four times during his tenure with the Rojiblancos.