Diego Simeone
| Date of birth | 28 April 1970 |
| Place of birth | Buenos Aires |
| Nationality | Argentine |
| Weight | 70 kg |
| Height | 1.77 m |
| Position | Midfielder |
An extremely effective defensive midfield player, Diego is now approaching the twilight of his career but still remains a key figure for club and country. He made his international debut against Australia in July 1988, and has become Argentinas most capped player - and the first to make over 100 appearances. A veteran of the 1994 and 1998 World Cup campaigns, notably in the latter he was involved in the incident when England's David Beckham was sent-off. Diego was also a member of the team that won the Copa America in 1991 and 1993.
His club career began with Velez Sarsfield in 1987, but he has since spent more than a decade on the European scene. He has played in turn for Pisa, Seville, Atletico Madrid (helping them to a domestic league and cup double in 1995-96), Inter Milan (UEFA Cup winners in 1998) and Lazio (Serie A champions and Italian Cup winners in 1999-2000).
Club history
| Team | Joined | Left | Loan / Trialist |
|---|---|---|---|
| Velez Sarsfield | 01 Jul 1987 | 01 Jul 1990 | |
| Pisa | 01 Jul 1990 | 01 Jul 1992 | |
| Sevilla | 01 Jul 1992 | 01 Jul 1994 | |
| Atletico Madrid | 01 Jul 1994 | 01 Jul 1997 | |
| Internazionale | 01 Jul 1997 | 01 Jul 1999 | |
| Lazio | 01 Jul 1999 | 16 Jul 2003 | |
| Atletico Madrid | 16 Jul 2003 |
Club stats
| Season | Team | Competition | Apps | Subs | Goals | Y | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998-99 | Internazionale | UEFA Champions League | 2 | ||||
| 1999-00 | Lazio | UEFA Champions League | 2 | ||||
| 1999-00 | Lazio | UEFA Super Cup | 1 |
||||
| 2000-01 | Lazio | Serie A | 23 | 7 |
2 |
6
|
|
| 2000-01 | Lazio | UEFA Champions League | 8 | 1 |
2
|
||
| 2001-02 | Lazio | Serie A | 3 | 5 |
1 |
2
|
|
| 2001-02 | Lazio | UEFA Champions League | 5 |
2
|
|||
| 2002-03 | Lazio | Serie A | 18 | 6 |
7 |
4
|
|
| 2002-03 | Lazio | UEFA Cup | 4 | 3 |
|||
| 2003-04 | Atletico Madrid | Primera Liga | 23 | 5 |
2 |
9
|
|
| 2004-05 | Atletico Madrid | Primera Liga | 4 | 4 |
Please note: Career stats are based on performances in the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
Club matches
| Date | Match | Result | Competition | Round | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 03 Mar 1999 | Manchester United v Inter Milano | L | 2-0 | UEFA Champions League | Quarter-final 1st leg |
| 17 Mar 1999 | Inter Milano v Manchester United | D |
1-1 Agg: 1-3 |
UEFA Champions League | Quarter-final 2nd leg |
Please note: Match history is complete for the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
International stats
| Season | Team | Competition | Apps | Subs | Goals | Y | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987-88 | Argentina | South America Youth Championship | 3 | 1 |
|||
| 1988-89 | Argentina | Bicentennial Gold Cup | 2 | 1 |
|||
| 1988-89 | Argentina | International Friendly | 1 | 2 |
|||
| 1988-89 | Argentina | World Youth Cup | 4 | 1 |
|||
| 1989-90 | Argentina | International Friendly | 1 |
||||
| 1990-91 | Argentina | England Challenge Cup | 2 | ||||
| 1990-91 | Argentina | International Friendly | 1 | ||||
| 1991-92 | Argentina | Copa America | 6 | 2 |
|||
| 1991-92 | Argentina | Olympics | 3 | 1 |
|||
| 1992-93 | Argentina | Artemio Franchi Trophy | 1 | ||||
| 1992-93 | Argentina | Copa America | 3 | 1 |
|||
| 1992-93 | Argentina | FIFA Confederations Cup | 2 | 1 |
|||
| 1992-93 | Argentina | International Friendly | 2 | ||||
| 1993-94 | Argentina | Copa America | 2 | ||||
| 1993-94 | Argentina | FIFA World Cup | 10 |
1
|
1
|
||
| 1993-94 | Argentina | International Friendly | 5 | ||||
| 1994-95 | Argentina | Copa America | 3 | 1 |
1 |
||
| 1994-95 | Argentina | International Friendly | 1 | 1 |
|||
| 1995-96 | Argentina | FIFA World Cup | 2 | ||||
| 1995-96 | Argentina | International Friendly | 4 | 1 |
|||
| 1996-97 | Argentina | FIFA World Cup | 6 | 2 |
|||
| 1996-97 | Argentina | International Friendly | 1 | ||||
| 1996-97 | Argentina | Olympics | 3 | 3 |
1 |
||
| 1997-98 | Argentina | FIFA World Cup | 9 | 1 |
1
|
||
| 1997-98 | Argentina | International Friendly | 7 | ||||
| 1998-99 | Argentina | Copa America | 4 | 1 |
1
|
||
| 1998-99 | Argentina | International Friendly | 3 |
1
|
|||
| 1999-00 | Argentina | FIFA World Cup | 4 |
1
|
|||
| 1999-00 | Argentina | International Friendly | 3 | 2 |
|||
| 2000-01 | Argentina | FIFA World Cup | 8 |
1
|
|||
| 2000-01 | Argentina | International Friendly | 2 |
1
|
|||
| 2001-02 | Argentina | FIFA World Cup | 4 |
2
|
Please note: Career stats are based on performances in the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
International matches
| Date | Match | Result | Competition | Round | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 May 1988 | Argentina v Brazil | L | 1-2 | SAYC | Final round |
| 19 May 1988 | Argentina v Paraguay | L | 0-1 | SAYC | Final round |
| 22 May 1988 | Argentina v Colombia | W | 2-1 | SAYC | Final round |
| 14 Jul 1988 | Australia v Argentina | L | 4-1 | Bicentennial Gold Cup | |
| 16 Jul 1988 | Argentina v Saudi Arabia | W | 2-0 | BI-CEN GOLD CUP | 3rd place |
| 17 Feb 1989 | Argentina v Spain | L | 1-2 | World Youth Cup | Group D |
| 19 Feb 1989 | Norway v Argentina | W | 0-2 | World Youth Cup | Group D |
| 22 Feb 1989 | Iraq v Argentina | L | 1-0 | World Youth Cup | Group D |
| 25 Feb 1989 | Brazil v Argentina | L | 1-0 | World Youth Cup | Quarter-final |
| 09 Mar 1989 | Colombia v Argentina | L | 1-0 | International Friendly | |
| 13 Apr 1989 | Ecuador v Argentina | D | 2-2 | International Friendly | |
| 20 Apr 1989 | Chile v Argentina | D | 1-1 | International Friendly | |
| 17 Jan 1990 | Mexico v Argentina | L | 2-0 | International Friendly | |
| 23 May 1991 | Argentina v USSR | D | 1-1 | England Chall Cup | |
| 25 May 1991 | England v Argentina | D | 2-2 | England Challenge Cup | |
| 27 Jun 1991 | Brazil v Argentina | D | 1-1 | International Friendly | |
| 08 Jul 1991 | Argentina v Venezuela | W | 3-0 | Copa America | Group A |
| 10 Jul 1991 | Chile v Argentina | W | 0-1 | Copa America | Group A |
| 12 Jul 1991 | Argentina v Paraguay | W | 4-1 | Copa America | Group A |
| 17 Jul 1991 | Brazil v Argentina | W | 2-3 | Copa America | Final round |
| 19 Jul 1991 | Chile v Argentina | D | 0-0 | Copa America | Final round |
| 21 Jul 1991 | Argentina v Colombia | W | 2-1 | Copa America | Final round |
| 02 Feb 1992 | Argentina v Bolivia | W | 1-0 | Olympics | South America round 1 group B |
| 04 Feb 1992 | Argentina v Ecuador | W | 1-0 | Olympics | South America round 1 group B |
| 06 Feb 1992 | Argentina v Chile | D | 1-1 | Olympics | South America round 1 group B |
| 16 Oct 1992 | Argentina v Ivory Coast | W | 4-0 | Intercontinental Championship | Semi-final |
| 20 Oct 1992 | Saudi Arabia v Argentina | W | 1-3 | Intercontinental Championship | Final |
| 26 Nov 1992 | Argentina v Poland | W | 2-0 | International Friendly | |
| 18 Feb 1993 | Argentina v Brazil | D | 1-1 | International Friendly | |
| 24 Feb 1993 | Argentina v Denmark | W | 1-1 (5-4) | CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions | |
| 20 Jun 1993 | Argentina v Mexico | D | 1-1 | Copa America | Group C |
| 23 Jun 1993 | Argentina v Colombia | D | 1-1 | Copa America | Group C |
| 27 Jun 1993 | Brazil v Argentina | W | 1-1 (6-5) | Copa America | Quarter-final |
| 01 Jul 1993 | Argentina v Colombia | W | 0-0 (6-5) | Copa America | Semi-final |
| 04 Jul 1993 | Argentina v Mexico | W | 2-1 | Copa America | Final |
| 01 Aug 1993 | Peru v Argentina | W | 0-1 | FIFA World Cup | South America group A |
| 08 Aug 1993 | Paraguay v Argentina | W | 1-3 | FIFA World Cup | South America group A |
| 15 Aug 1993 | Colombia v Argentina | L | 2-1 | FIFA World Cup | South America group A |
| 29 Aug 1993 | Argentina v Paraguay | D | 0-0 | FIFA World Cup | South America group A |
| 05 Sep 1993 | Argentina v Colombia | L | 0-5 | FIFA World Cup | South America group A |
| 17 Nov 1993 | Argentina v Australia | W | 1-0 | FIFA World Cup | Play-off |
| 24 Mar 1994 | Brazil v Argentina | L | 2-0 | International Friendly | |
| 20 Apr 1994 | Argentina v Morocco | W | 3-1 | International Friendly | |
| 18 May 1994 | Chile v Argentina | D | 3-3 | International Friendly | |
| 25 May 1994 | Ecuador v Argentina | L | 1-0 | International Friendly | |
| 04 Jun 1994 | Croatia v Argentina | D | 0-0 | International Friendly | |
| 21 Jun 1994 | Argentina v Greece | W | 4-0 | FIFA World Cup | Finals Group D |
| 25 Jun 1994 | Argentina v Nigeria | W | 2-1 | FIFA World Cup | Finals Group D |
| 30 Jun 1994 | Argentina v Bulgaria | L | 0-2 | FIFA World Cup | Finals Group D |
| 03 Jul 1994 | Romania v Argentina | L | 3-2 | FIFA World Cup | Finals 2nd round |
| 22 Jun 1995 | Argentina v Slovakia | W | 6-0 | Unofficial | |
| 30 Jun 1995 | Argentina v Australia | W | 2-0 | International Friendly | |
| 08 Jul 1995 | Argentina v Bolivia | W | 2-1 | Copa America | Group C |
| 11 Jul 1995 | Argentina v Chile | W | 4-0 | Copa America | Group C |
| 14 Jul 1995 | Argentina v USA | L | 0-3 | Copa America | Group C |
| 17 Jul 1995 | Brazil v Argentina | D | 2-2 | Copa America | Quarter-final |
| 20 Sep 1995 | Spain v Argentina | L | 2-1 | International Friendly | |
| 08 Nov 1995 | Argentina v Brazil | L | 0-1 | International Friendly | |
| 24 Apr 1996 | Argentina v Bolivia | W | 3-1 | FIFA World Cup | CONMEBOL South American qualifier |
| 02 Jun 1996 | Ecuador v Argentina | L | 2-0 | FIFA World Cup | CONMEBOL South American qualifier |
| 20 Jun 1996 | Argentina v Poland | W | 2-0 | International Friendly | |
| 07 Jul 1996 | Peru v Argentina | D | 0-0 | FIFA World Cup | CONMEBOL South American qualifier |
| 20 Jul 1996 | USA v Argentina | W | 1-3 | Olympics | Finals Group A |
| 22 Jul 1996 | Argentina v Portugal | D | 1-1 | Olympics | Finals Group A |
| 24 Jul 1996 | Argentina v Tunisia | D | 1-1 | Olympics | Finals Group A |
| 27 Jul 1996 | Argentina v Spain | W | 4-0 | Olympics | Quarter-final |
| 30 Jul 1996 | Argentina v Portugal | W | 2-0 | Olympics | Semi-final |
| 03 Aug 1996 | Nigeria v Argentina | L | 3-2 | Olympics | Final |
| 09 Oct 1996 | Venezuela v Argentina | W | 2-5 | FIFA World Cup | CONMEBOL South American qualifier |
| 28 Dec 1996 | Argentina v Yugoslavia | L | 2-3 | International Friendly | |
| 12 Jan 1997 | Uruguay v Argentina | D | 0-0 | FIFA World Cup | CONMEBOL South American qualifier |
| 12 Feb 1997 | Colombia v Argentina | W | 0-1 | FIFA World Cup | CONMEBOL South American qualifier |
| 30 Apr 1997 | Argentina v Ecuador | W | 2-1 | FIFA World Cup | CONMEBOL South American qualifier |
| 08 Jun 1997 | Argentina v Peru | W | 2-0 | FIFA World Cup | CONMEBOL South American qualifier |
| 06 Jul 1997 | Paraguay v Argentina | W | 1-2 | FIFA World Cup | CONMEBOL South American qualifier |
| 20 Jul 1997 | Argentina v Venezuela | W | 2-0 | FIFA World Cup | CONMEBOL South American qualifier |
| 10 Sep 1997 | Chile v Argentina | W | 1-2 | FIFA World Cup | CONMEBOL South American qualifier |
| 12 Oct 1997 | Argentina v Uruguay | D | 0-0 | FIFA World Cup | CONMEBOL South American qualifier |
| 16 Nov 1997 | Argentina v Colombia | D | 1-1 | FIFA World Cup | CONMEBOL South American qualifier |
| 19 Feb 1998 | Argentina v Romania | W | 2-1 | International Friendly | |
| 24 Feb 1998 | Argentina v Yugoslavia | W | 3-1 | International Friendly | |
| 22 Apr 1998 | Republic of Ireland v Argentina | W | 0-2 | International Friendly | |
| 29 Apr 1998 | Brazil v Argentina | W | 0-1 | International Friendly | |
| 14 May 1998 | Argentina v Bosnia and Herzegovina | W | 5-0 | International Friendly | |
| 19 May 1998 | Argentina v Chile | W | 1-0 | International Friendly | |
| 25 May 1998 | Argentina v South Africa | W | 2-0 | International Friendly | |
| 14 Jun 1998 | Argentina v Japan | W | 1-0 | FIFA World Cup | Finals group H |
| 21 Jun 1998 | Argentina v Jamaica | W | 5-0 | FIFA World Cup | Finals group H |
| 26 Jun 1998 | Argentina v Croatia | W | 1-0 | FIFA World Cup | Finals group H |
| 30 Jun 1998 | Argentina v England | W | 2-2 (4-3) | FIFA World Cup | Finals 2nd round |
| 04 Jul 1998 | Netherlands v Argentina | L | 2-1 | FIFA World Cup | Finals quarter-final |
| 09 Jun 1999 | Mexico v Argentina | D | 2-2 | International Friendly | |
| 13 Jun 1999 | USA v Argentina | L | 1-0 | International Friendly | |
| 20 Jun 1999 | Argentina v Lithuania | D | 0-0 | International Friendly | |
| 01 Jul 1999 | Argentina v Ecuador | W | 3-1 | Copa America | Group C |
| 04 Jul 1999 | Argentina v Colombia | L | 0-3 | Copa America | Group C |
| 07 Jul 1999 | Argentina v Uruguay | W | 2-0 | Copa America | Group C |
| 11 Jul 1999 | Brazil v Argentina | L | 2-1 | Copa America | Quarter-final |
| 04 Sep 1999 | Argentina v Brazil | W | 2-0 | International Friendly | |
| 07 Sep 1999 | Brazil v Argentina | L | 4-2 | International Friendly | |
| 13 Oct 1999 | Argentina v Colombia | W | 2-1 | International Friendly | |
| 17 Nov 1999 | Spain v Argentina | W | 0-2 | International Friendly | |
| 23 Feb 2000 | England v Argentina | D | 0-0 | International Friendly | |
| 29 Mar 2000 | Argentina v Chile | W | 4-1 | FIFA World Cup | CONMEBOL South American qualifier |
| 26 Apr 2000 | Venezuela v Argentina | W | 0-4 | FIFA World Cup | CONMEBOL South American qualifier |
| 04 Jun 2000 | Argentina v Bolivia | W | 1-0 | FIFA World Cup | CONMEBOL South American qualifier |
| 29 Jun 2000 | Colombia v Argentina | W | 1-3 | FIFA World Cup | CONMEBOL South American qualifier |
| 19 Jul 2000 | Argentina v Ecuador | W | 2-0 | FIFA World Cup | CONMEBOL South American qualifier |
| 26 Jul 2000 | Brazil v Argentina | L | 3-1 | FIFA World Cup | CONMEBOL South American qualifier |
| 16 Aug 2000 | Argentina v Paraguay | D | 1-1 | FIFA World Cup | CONMEBOL South American qualifier |
| 03 Sep 2000 | Peru v Argentina | W | 1-2 | FIFA World Cup | CONMEBOL South American qualifier |
| 08 Oct 2000 | Argentina v Uruguay | W | 2-1 | FIFA World Cup | CONMEBOL South American qualifier |
| 20 Dec 2000 | Argentina v Mexico | W | 2-0 | International Friendly | |
| 28 Feb 2001 | Italy v Argentina | W | 1-2 | International Friendly | |
| 28 Mar 2001 | Argentina v Venezuela | W | 5-0 | FIFA World Cup | CONMEBOL South American qualifier |
| 25 Apr 2001 | Bolivia v Argentina | D | 3-3 | FIFA World Cup | CONMEBOL South American qualifier |
| 03 Jun 2001 | Argentina v Colombia | W | 3-0 | FIFA World Cup | CONMEBOL South American qualifier |
| 14 Aug 2001 | Ecuador v Argentina | W | 0-2 | FIFA World Cup | CONMEBOL South American qualifier |
| 05 Sep 2001 | Argentina v Brazil | W | 2-1 | FIFA World Cup | CONMEBOL South American qualifier |
| 02 Jun 2002 | Argentina v Nigeria | W | 1-0 | FIFA World Cup | Finals group F |
| 07 Jun 2002 | Argentina v England | L | 0-1 | FIFA World Cup | Finals group F |
Please note: Match history is complete for the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.