Just the 6,084 days after his father scored to beat Juve, Giovanni Simeone inspired Genoa against the shambolic champions in Serie A
If you ask Diego Simeone, he will tell you that he does not often talk about football with his son. The Atlético Madrid manager is immensely proud of the success Giovanni has had in carving out a career in the sport but also anxious to avoid adding to the pressure that comes with following in his footsteps. “I’ve never liked to give him pointers about specific aspects of his game,” said Diego during a television interview two months back. He visits his son whenever he can during international breaks and the pair speak frequently by phone, “[But] we talk about life, which is very important.”
A worthy sentiment. And yet, one wonders how easy it can be to pick apart life from football when you have dedicated one so absolutely to the other. After the younger Simeone joined Genoa from River Plate in the summer, he painted a rather different picture – explaining at his introductory press conference that Diego “lives football all day, from the pitch to the dinner table”. So when his dad’s number flashed up on his phone screen last week, Giovanni knew they would wind up discussing his upcoming home match against Juventus. With Genoa’s first-choice centre-forward, Leonardo Pavoletti, sidelined by injury, the 21-year-old was in line to start up front.
Related: Serie A round-up: Genoa’s Giovanni Simeone stuns leaders Juventus
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