The Top Ten Atléticos of the Noughties

Continuing our top players or best team of the decade series, this time we turn to our friend Peter Anderson from MadridAtleticos.

It is hard to comprehend that a decade which finished seeing Los Colchoneros winning the Europa League, the European Super Cup and being runners up in the King’s Cup should have started in La Segunda. Only a few years after winning El Doblete, Atletico were relegated to the second tier of Spanish football and that is where they began the noughties. If you look at the squad lists for the last decade you can see, little by little, the quality of the squads improved. From starting the decade in the second division, Atletico progressed to a few years of mid table obscurity in the primera and finally top 4 finishes bringing Champions League football. So who are the top ten players of the last decade? Well here are my picks:

1. Simeone is the Argentine legend who had 2 spells at Atleti the second of which was from 2003 to 2005. It could be argued that his first spell at the club was much more successful as he was part of the double winning side but it is impossible to overlook such a massive player. To this day you can still see shirts with his name on the back being worn at the Calderón.

2. Antonio Lopez is the current club captain and has been at Atletico, save 2 seasons on loan at Osasuna, for his entire career. A product of the Cantera, Lopez is well loved and respected by the Rojiblaco faithful. He had to fight for his place at left-back after the club signed Pernía from Getafe but eventually saw off his rival. The last few seasons have seen Lopez losing his pace and therefore his reputation as a safe pair of hands so in the summer the club signed Filipe Luis to replace him but the man from Benidorm will always be remembered as the captain who lifted the cup in Hamburg.

3. Fernando Torres is another product of the youth system and a life-long Atleti supporter. El Niño, from Fuenlabrada in the Madrid suburbs, made his debut in 2001 and went on to captain the side at the tender age of 19. In the 1st division he averaged 15 league goals per season before his eventual transfer to Liverpool in the summer of 2007. To say that Torres is a legend at the Calderón would be an understatement; the amount of Liverpool tops I see with Torres on the back never ceases to amaze me. One day he will return and what a day that will be. I hope I’m there to see it.

4. Perea is probably the quickest defender in La Liga. Some would say that he needs to be in order to rectify his mistakes. Admittedly he does regularly make some howlers, most notably last season when he gifted Higuain the winner for Real in the 2-3 defeat at the Calderón. But Perea has quality and that has shone through this season. Last season he was being booed by his own supporters but this season he has come back strong and determined and is currently keeping Godín out of the side with solid defensive performances.

5. Maniche is a controversial pick for this top ten. The Calderón faithful hated him and were glad to see the back of El Borracho but I thought he was a class act. Many times my mate Gareth and I would get into arguments about him with other supporters. The ex-Chelsea and Porto man always put in a shift, always wanted the ball, could tackle and pass and generally boss a game. A similar sort of player to current Atletico loanee, Tiago.

6. De Gea is the only goalie on this list and that is a pity. This lad is another product of the youth system and at only 20 years old is destined for super stardom. Every week the faithful belt out his name in song. There is talk of a summer move to Man U or Arsenal but Cerezo risks all out revolt if he lets him go. Leo Franco, the last Atletico nº1, said he was technically the best keeper he had seen and his performances are bearing that out. His performance against Messi when Barça came to town a few months ago was just spectacular. Can Atletico keep him? We’ll watch with great interest to see what happens.

7. Maxi was club captain for us after Torres left for Liverpool until Maxi himself left for the same club. He had his best years under Aguirre where he became a regular. An unspectacular player, Maxi was nevertheless a class act. Signed from Espanyol in 2005 Maxi’s career was halted by a cruciate ligament injury that kept him out for a year but he came back to play the best football of his career in 2008.

8. Jose Antonio Reyes is an enigma. This hyper-sensitive sevillano had a terrible start to his Atletico career. At his introduction to the faithful at the Calderón they chanted “Puta Madridista” as he had been signed from arch rivals Real. An uninspiring first season got worse as he was verbally abused by Atleticos every time he went out in the city. Eventually loaned to Benfica he prospered under Sanchez Flores and when he became manager of Atletico in 2009 Reyes became a new man, returning to the club with new drive. There is no doubting Reyes’ talent. He can turn a game with one piece of skill and ties up defenders leaving more space for the other forwards. Once he starts scoring he will become the complete winger.

9. Forlán is the most recognizable member of the current Atletico squad. His performances at last summer’s World Cup together with his winning goal in the Europa Cup final have, finally, given the Uruguayan the world recognition he deserves. But believe it or not he is not popular with the faithful in the Calderón. Ok so you can hear chants of UR-U-GUA-YO when he scores but you will also hear groans and whistles when he gives the ball away and doesn’t run to try to retrieve it. This situation started after he won the Pichichi and European Golden Boot for the second time in 2009. The following season he started slowly and some people thought he was not putting in the effort so started booing him. After a barren spell ended with a goal against Athletic at the Calderón he ran to the crowd and started shouting abuse at the fans. This has all culminated with recent declarations to the press that he owes nothing to Atleti and will go if he gets a good offer. It is so sad that it has come to this because the Uruguayan has been absolutely prolific since he arrived from Villarreal, scoring dozens of goals some of which have been crucial to Atleti’s success. He is a world class goal scorer and will be hard to replace.

10. Kun Agüero is the current poster boy of Atletico Madrid. Since his arrival from Independiente in the summer of 2006 he has gone on to occupy the hearts of the rojiblanco faithful. His first season was not so prolific as he failed to connect with Torres, but after Torres left and Forlán came to replace him he has formed a partnership with the Uruguayan that strikes fear into every defence in Europe. He rarely has a bad game and always gives his all. He is capable of spectacular goals and assists, can shoot with left and right and can dribble. It is hard to believe that he is only 21 years old. He recently extended his contract so the fans at the Calderón have a few more years to appreciate his majestic presence on their pitch. He has also recently been made one of the club captains much to the pleasure of those of us who adore him. Of all the players who have played for Atleti in the last decade there is no doubt that Kun is king, and long may it continue.