Dreams Do Come True

Three minutes. That is all it took for Giovanni Pablo Simeone to realise a 12-year-long dream. A dream which came true in one of the grandest stages in world football. Not only did Simeone score in a Champions League game against Liverpool, but also in the stadium named after his late fellow international, the great Diego Armando Maradona.

Clearly, the hunger and the “giant slayer” mentality runs in the Simeone family. At Atletico Madrid, Giovanni’s father Diego Simeone has proven that intensity and aggression, coupled with unity and cohesion, can bring extraordinary success, but it is Diego’s days as a player which give us a real glimpse into the mentality of Argentinian football culture. A hardworking, tenacious leader with a great sense of position and high football IQ; he would describe his style of play as “holding a knife between his teeth”.

The natural instinct that enabled Diego to become one of the most successful box-to-box midfielders of his era, is what we saw in Giovanni’s first goal for his new club Napoli and in the Champions League. He explodes into tears right after scoring. Dreaming of this moment since he was 14 years old, the passion was clear as he came to tears when kissing the Champions League football tattooed on the inside of his forearm.

The reaction shown by Giovanni symbolises “the fight” that this journey has been for him, against the doubters, against the difficulties, against the odds. Speaking to the Italian press, he stated: “I knew, I knew because I was ready”, “I just needed one chance, I had it and I did not miss”. Giovanni’s tattoo ultimately is a pledge and a commitment towards football and towards making history in the biggest club competition in the world, and as if there is not enough history in Diego’s and Giovanni’s story, with this goal they become only the sixth father and son duo to both score in the Champions League, truly remarkable.