Diego Simeone has spoken of his pride after his son, Giovanni, scored his first Champions League goal against Liverpool on Wednesday night.
Simeone Jnr was part of the Napoli side that ran rampant against the Reds at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium. With his side already 2-0 up, the forward added a third just before the break.
Finding himself in the right place at the right time, Simeone quickly reacted to Khvicha Kvaratskhelia going past Joe Gomez before he slotted the ball past Alisson Becker to extend his side's lead.
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Overcome by emotion, the former River Plate star held both hands on his head when wheeling away in an exuberant fashion before collapsing to the floor with arms outstretched to lap up the appreciation from the Napoli supporters. The forward then kissed the Champions League logo tattoo that he got at as a teenager as he looked to be holding back the tears.
“For Giovanni I am very pleased, he worked hard to reach the Champions League and scored. He is in a team that attacks a lot and this is good for his characteristics,” Atletico boss Diego said on the goal following his side’s last-gasp victory over Porto.
Simeone had previously revealed that, aged just 13, he had the Champions League logo tattooed on his arm. However, the decision did not go down well with his dad.
“I was 13 when I got my first tattoo. You're supposed to be 18, but I was such a fan of the Champions League that I got the logo done at 13,” he told the Guardian last year.
“My dad didn't want me to. And my mum said: "Why?" I said: "Because the day I play and get my first goal in it, I'm going to kiss the tattoo."
Following the game, the now-27-year-old said: “I was 14 years old, my dream was always to play the Champions League, from the very beginning. Twelve years later I’m here.
"I got this tattoo because I had the dream of getting this far, scoring a goal and kissing this ball. It was exciting. Every time I saw this tattoo as a child I dreamed this moment. I’m excited, I did a lot to get here and now I’m here.”
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