Just one year after his irruption into Atlético’s magical and miraculous night against Liverpool at Anfield, the last memory of old football with crowded stands and hostile pressure for the visitor, Marcos Llorente is confirmed as Luis Suárez’s best partner, with whom he forms the most decisive pair in the League, and one of the great sensations of continental football.
Signed in June 2019 for just under 40 million from the eternal rival, where Zinedine Zidane did not give him even the minutes of the garbage, he is on his way to being the most profitable signing of Atlético in decades. His lucky goal from the head, on the brink of halftime, and the penalty converted by the Uruguayan Gunman at the start of the second half, reinforced Atlético in the lead on Wednesday with a comeback against Athletic (2-1) that places him with six points ahead of Barça and eight points over Real Madrid, with twelve games to go.
He shines as a midfielder, inside, forward, side and winger in defense with three centrals and scores with his right, left, head, distance, close and rebound. Llorente is the luxury wild card for Simeone, who gives him as an example and sends a warning to Luis Enrique in the face of the list of summoned that he will offer next Monday for the matches of Spain against Greece, Georgia and Kosovo, already qualifying for him Qatar World Cup 2022. «The word will can be simplified in all the events that happened to it. He arrived at the club, he was out of the bank, he continued training, searching, wanting, having that will that leads you to jump whatever you want and he succeeded. He is in an extraordinary moment, very important for Atlético and surely for the Spanish team ”, highlighted de Llorente.
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With little rest and with an extraordinary physical display in all the matches, without any failure due to technical decision, sanction, injury or illness, the Madrid native had to ask for the change in the last minutes against the lions. Except for surprise, he is also getting ready for the Saturday appointment in Getafe: “I had an annoyance and in the end I did not give more, I could not contribute to the team and I preferred to ask for the change, but it is something punctual and there will be no problem for the next game.”
The miracle
According to Opta’s data, Llorente is the heaviest scoring midfielder in the major European leagues, surpassed only by Bruno Fernandes, from Manchester United. The Portuguese has participated in 26 goals while the rojiblanco has done so in 17, with nine goals and eight assists. Together with Suárez, they add up to 27 of the 50 goals of their team in the regularity tournament, 52% of the total. If his assists are taken into account, Llorente has intervened in 36 of those fifty goals, which represents a contribution of 72% of the total goals. Tremendous.
His career changed since that night at Anfield, since that overtime in which Atlético was already eliminated with goals from Wijnaldum and Firmino. Marcos Llorente had entered the second half instead of Diego Costa, very angry, and Liverpool was intractable. Suddenly, Llorente received a pass from Joao Félix on the edge to put the ball in Adrián’s furthest post, including a slip from the Spanish goalkeeper. One of those goals that are shouted to the sky and that are remembered over the years. Not happy, minutes later he starred in a counter with Álvaro Morata with a similar result: right from the front and into the net. Already in the overtime discount, Morata sealed the victory after assistance from the nephew of Paco Gento, a saga of athletes.
His overwhelming performances at Atlético led him to the national team, with which he debuted on November 11, 2020, playing a few minutes against the Netherlands. He did not go out against Switzerland and Germany, but he already entered the plans of Luis Enrique in the last list. Llorente dreams of being in the next European Championship. His performance speaks for him. He has not lost any of the 26 league games, including 22 as a starter, he has only been substituted in five and has 1,991 minutes, only surpassed by Koke, Savic and, of course, goalkeeper Jan Oblak.
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