It hurts me Saul

How much joy he's given me , and also how hard it has been to see him so many times on the pitch. Saúl is one of us, a gifted soldier of El Cholo who served his military service in Vallecas to establish himself as one of Europe's greatest talents. Goals to remember, some of them in crucial moments, and in a team that could have made more history than it did . Because in 2016, Atleti didn't win any titles; they fell just short of winning in May; but it was the pinnacle of Simeone's first term, andSaúl was the general captain in that right-back position.

He got a tattoo of the club's emblem , put his health at risk after the Leverkusen incident, and allowed himself the luxury of signing a big contract with the club of his life. A deal that looks like it's ending, even though he left a long time ago. After the pandemic, he faded away ; he didn't want to be a wing-back, but there was something else we probably don't know about that made him disconnect from the project at just 26 years old. He's continued at big clubs, but hasn't managed to gel. We Atlético fans have followed his career , like that friend who went on Erasmus and told you about his work every week. Sometimes it was hard to see him between benches and injuries, because Saúl is one of us . And just as we suffered with Fernando Torres when praise wasn't all his in London, it was happening with Saúl.

Now he'll leave through the back door . Few will remember him, but, although he's hurt me deeply and angered me countless times because of plays he couldn't reach or poor decisions on the pitch, the truth is that this kid has worn the red and white more than 400 times . He even had his own song, something only a select few can achieve. I'll be happy about whatever good happens to him; it will pain me for life not to have seen him reach Koke's match-winning numbers. What a duo. Because between 2015 and 2019 I thought we had a stellar midfielder , but he only lasted five years. It's a shame, Saúl is one of us.