Diego Simeone has opened up on why he warmly greeted Carlo Ancelotti during Sunday's Madrid derby - despite refusing to shake hands with Jurgen Klopp earlier this season.
Simeone led Atletico Madrid to a 1-0 victory over Real Madrid at the Wanda Metropolitano with Yannick Carrasco scoring the winner from the penalty spot late in the first half. The occasion was Los Blancos' first domestic fixture since they won La Liga with a 4-0 thrashing of Espanyol the previous weekend.
Ancelotti has now lifted the league titles of the top five divisions in Europe having also triumphed in England, France, Italy and Germany. Following the derby at the weekend, the highly-acclaimed veteran received an embrace and a handshake from opposite number Simeone.
The heart-warming scene was in stark contrast to the one which followed Atletico's 3-2 defeat by Liverpool in the Champions League group stage earlier this season. After an ill-tempered affair in Spain, Simeone found no time to shake Klopp's hand and instead ran down the tunnel.
While it is not unusual for the Argentine to do so, the Liverpool manager branded his behaviour "not cool" and there was no handshake between the pair when they met again later in the group stage, this time at Anfield. "I've already explained myself after the first match," Simeone told reporters ahead of his side's 2-0 loss on Merseyside.
"I don't like the handshake greetings after the match as they are the emotions of two different sides in different emotional minds. So I don't like that greeting after the match.
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"I know in the UK it is a custom and all about chivalry, but I don't share it and I don't like the falseness. So I behave as I feel. I don't know Klopp as a person, but he is a great coach and has been great everywhere he has been. I don't give an opinion on other teams, we are coaches and we all have to respect that."
It appears Simeone has softened his stance on shaking rival managers' hands as he explained whether he takes part in the gesture "depends on the match" after greeting Ancelotti. "I have shaken hands with [Valencia manager Jose] Bordalas, [and Athletic Bilbao manager] Marcelino too," he told reporters.
"It depends on the match. "Sometimes we cross paths and, in that situation, we greet each other. I have admiration for Ancelotti, he is an extraordinary coach. He has won in five different leagues. With the personality like the one he has... he handles himself the same whether he wins or loses."
