Diego Simeone is one of world’s richest football managers with net worth north of £100million

Diego Simeone is back in the news following his Anfield dismissal for clashing with a Liverpool fan during Atletico Madrid’s narrow 3-2 loss to the Reds on Wednesday night

Diego Simeone has apologised for his rash reaction during Liverpool’s 3-2 win over Atletico Madrid after he was sent off for clashing with a Reds fan. The Atleti manager celebrated wildly after Marcos Llorente clawed his team back to a 2-2 draw in the dying minutes of the Champions League opener, with the struggling La Liga team looking set to take a point back to the Metropolitano Stadium.

Liverpool had opened the scoring early on, with Andy Robertson and Mohamed Salah both on target within six minutes. However, Llorente hit back just before the break, and scored a brilliant volley in the 81st minute to seemingly secure a point at Anfield.

However, captain Virgil van Dijk stepped up in the 92nd minute to power a header home from Dominik Szoboszlai’s corner, securing the three points and the victory for his team in the Champions League. This goal sparked a melee on the touchline as Simeone ended up in a heated argument with fans behind his dugout.

Stewards were forced to intervene in the clash before the Argentinian was sent off by referee Maurizio Mariani. Reflecting on the incident, Simeone said: “When they scored the third goal he turned around and insulted me. I’m a person, I’m human.”

The 55-year-old is unlikely to be thinking much more about the clash now, given that he has millions of pounds to comfort him as one of the richest managers in football. The Argentine boss is regarded second-richest manager on the planet with a net worth of £102m, according to Celebrity Net Worth.

READ MORE: Diego Simeone sent off after heated altercation with Liverpool supportersREAD MORE: Diego Simeone reveals what sparked furious row with Liverpool fans during game

Simeone has been at Atleti since 2011 and has built a formidable side in that time, winning the La Liga title twice, two Copa del Reys, two Europa League trophies and two UEFA Super Cups. Atletico have also been runners up in the Champions League twice, having been defeated by fellow Spaniards Real Madrid on both occasions.

This success has seen Simeone’s stock rise proficiently over the years, earning him a £36.6m annual salary in Madrid, which goes some way to showing just why his net worth is so high. This yearly wage makes him the highest-paid coach in all of sports currently, with Premier League bosses like Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta following up behind on £19m and £14m, respectively.

But all of Simeone’s money won’t get him out of his European ban this time around, after his red card offence meant his players walked off at Anfield alone, heartbroken with their last-minute loss.

When asked further about his reaction to the goal and subsequent fan frenzy, he added: “They were shouting insults through the whole game from behind the bench and I cannot say anything as I am a coach.

“Obviously my reaction is not justifiable, I insulted him. But it was 90 minutes of being insulted the whole time then you turn around, when your opponent has scored, and they are still insulting you. It is not that easy.

“I am not really going to get into the exact nature of the insults. I don’t want to get into that discussion. I know what went on behind the manager’s bench. I cannot solve society’s problems in one press conference. I have to live with it because it happens all the time.”

Before he serves his ban, however, Simeone will have to deal with an away trip to Mallorca and two home games to Rayo Vallecano and league leaders Real Madrid as the club aims to kickstart their La Liga season.

Then, in the Champions League, it is a visit from 2022 Europa League winners Eintracht Frankfurt before a tough away trip to Arsenal.

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