German legend Lothar Matthäus of Bayern Munich directed sharp criticism at Atletico Madrid, branding the Spanish side "dirty and nasty" as he looked back on his previous encounters with their coach Diego Simeone, from the days when the Argentine was a player with Italy's Pisa.
Speaking to the "NTV Sport" channel ahead of the anticipated clash between Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich, Matthäus recalled facing Simeone during his own time in the Inter Milan shirt. The Argentine coach, he said, leaned heavily on strong challenges.
"He kept kicking," Matthäus said of that period, adding that he felt the need to wear extra shin guards because of Simeone's challenges.
The two met only twice in Italy. The first came in October 1990, when Inter Milan beat Pisa 6-3. The second, in March 1991, ended in a 1-0 win for the Lombardy side through a Nicola Berti goal at the Arena Garibaldi stadium.
Simeone was handed the job of marking him in one of those matches, Matthäus explained, and the Argentine midfielder did not hesitate to use force even on his own teammates. He pointed to the time Simeone tackled his compatriot Diego Maradona, then captain of the Argentina national team.
"He kicked Maradona, the Argentine!" the former Germany star said. "He kicked his captain in the national team. Can you imagine? He was very angry."
His sharpest line arrived when the subject turned to former Bayern star Thomas Müller, who had labelled Atletico Madrid one of the most violent teams in European football.
"Violent? That's a nice word," Matthäus hit back. "If he had said tough men, it would have been different... They are a dirty and nasty team," a direct attack on the Spanish side's style of play.