Atlético says goodbye to its golden substitute: Correa, transferred to Tigres

Once football returns to the Metropolitano, and Simeone examines the options available to him to change the course of the match, there will be a huge void on the Atlético de Madrid bench. A difficult-to-fill void left by the departure of Ángel Correa , who ends ten years of defending the red and white jersey to join Tigres in Mexico.

Always in the background, rarely making headlines, the Colchoneros club is saying goodbye to their golden substitute. His 469 appearances for Atlético, almost half of which came as a substitute, make him the sixth player, and the second foreigner, with the most appearances in the club's history .

Having arrived in Madrid as an unknown twenty-something from San Lorenzo, he became accustomed to starting each of his ten seasons as a substitute. A circumstance that never bothered Correa, always ready to revolutionize the game with any minutes Simeone offered him, whether it was thirty, ten, or injury time. This meant that, despite the names of the theoretical starters, the Argentine took over an undisputed spot.

He provided 88 goals, along with 65 assists, as Atlético added a La Liga title, a Europa League title, and a European Super Cup to their trophy cabinet. Among them, many of them life-saving and agonizing, two will remain in the club's history books: the final shot that pierced the net at the Vicente Calderón stadium and the goal that sparked the comeback in Valladolid that crowned the Red and Whites as league champions.

"Atlético de Madrid would like to thank Ángel Correa for his dedication and effort over all these years at our club and wish him the best of luck in his future personal and professional endeavors," concluded the club's statement, which was accompanied on social media by a commemorative video titled ' The Angel of Atleti. Our Little Angel .'

He wasn't raised in Madrid nor was he raised in the Atlético faith, but Correa is one of the players who has best represented the values ​​the Atlético faithful boast about. Courage and heart, never stop believing. Two mantras that could perfectly sum up the legacy the Argentine, the golden catalyst, leaves in the soul of Atlético.