Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone makes huge Barcelona claim: “They play a different sport to us”

In partnership with

Barca News Network

·21 September 2026

Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone makes huge Barcelona claim: “They play a different sport to us”

Barcelona have made a perfect start to the 2026-27 season, with their weekend victory over Sevilla taking them to eight wins out of eight across all competitions – with seven of those coming in La Liga. It means that Hansi Flick’s side have gone into the international break with a five-point lead at the top of the standings, with their closest challengers now being Atletico Madrid and Real Betis.

Atleti rose to 2nd after defeating Real Madrid 2-1 on Sunday, a result that saw Barcelona’s El Clasico slide down to 4th. After the match, head coach Diego Simeone paid tribute to the Catalans during an interview with ESPN (via MD).

OneFootball Videos

“They play great, it seems that they play a different sport than the one we play. They didn’t have a nine and suddenly Raphinha appeared, who has twelve goals in seven games, and Lamine Yamal, I think, has seven. The numbers are incredible. They are a team that presses you in your own half, they take away your time, and they are not afraid to take risks and concede a goal because it seems that they concede a goal and it is worse. They are better at the moment, the best team in the league for what they are showing.”

How different would things be had Barcelona signed Alvarez?

Simeone is right to point out the efforts of Raphinha in particular, with the 29-year-old having been the best player in La Liga in the opening seven matches. 12 goals in that time is a remarkable return, especially when considering that he’s only been played centrally due to Barcelona’s failed attempts to sign Julian Alvarez from Atleti.

While Raphinha is on 12 goals, Alvarez has yet to get off the mark for Atleti. So far, Barcelona are not ruing their inability to sign the Argentine striker, and they will hope this continues to be the case going forward.