The rams of Calderón

The relationship of Atletico Madrid with the signings was never a red carpet deployed in the vicinity of the Vicente Calderon. Unknown names that turned into pleasant surprises, or mid-level players were accompanied by further substantiated suspicion on the list of signings in recent decades. Only a few got the favor of the fans, and among those few, many of them were forwards. If there is a position that Atletico has been well covered, that is the ram. Now that the club seeks new recipient for the nine, playing hard and Osvaldo Falcao, and considering that Adrian is a second striker, is a good time to remember the list of tips that have triumphed in the Calderon in recent years.

Luboslav Penev

We started the season 95-96, the historic year of the doublet. At that moment would come when a player Calderón well known in the Spanish league as Lubo Penev, who played six seasons with Valencia. With an eye for goal as big as his character, the Bulgarian was crucial to make 16 points in that league season so nice souvenir for the athletic crowd, forming a partnership with luxury Kiko. Only spent a year on the banks of the Manzanares, but still scoring goals for the Compostela.

Juan Eduardo Esnáider

The ups and downs marked the career of Argentine striker, but at the Calderon saw one of his best releases. From the neighbor and rival, Gardel had the difficult task of replacing Penev in the year in which the local securities Athletic defended and disputed the Champions League. Amply met, both in performance and character, matching the league mark of goals his predecessor, leaving a pleasant memory, but their differences with Antic, with fights including in the middle of major parties, led to his place a year after its signing.

Christian Vieri

Possibly the best striker who has been at the Calderon in the last two decades and the best business in the Gil family, who bought from Juventus for 3,000 million pesetas and sold to Lazio a year later by a number higher, after being top scorer in the Spanish league by scoring 24 goals in as many games with so many memorable as this , it was in the UEFA.

Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink

No matched with substitute Vieri to be hired Juan Gonzalez, Uruguayan forward who had a great performance in Oviedo not repeated in the athlete. That year he played more Jose Mari, versatile and promising striker from Sevilla a year ago. But a year later, they have a big striker to be signed leading scorer of the Premier's shirt Leeds United, the Dutchman Hasselbaink, who repeated the numbers when dialing Vieri scorers 24 points. However it arrived in good time, for this year was the descent and was unlucky to miss a penalty in the last day that would come to salvation. Following established custom, only lasted a year after being hired by Chelsea.

Salva Ballesta and Diego Alonso

Two years did Crossing Atletico hell , one more than expected. But the custom of having a good striker did not cease in the category of silver, where Atletico ordered the two top scorers in both seasons. It was first Salva, who was top scorer in first with Racing and repeated in the second after scoring 21 goals. It cost 1,600 million pesetas and was playing second international. A year later he took it to Valencia, which included the transfer in the operation of the Uruguayan Diego Alonso, who had a great career in our country but left 22 goals at the Calderon to assist in the promotion. By then already stated in the first team following our protagonist.

Fernando Torres

Other front of the quarry as Braulio, billets, Arizmendi, Del Moral and Ibrahima have tried without luck, but Fernando Torres won and became the reference for the club. The bear and the strawberry of the shield, so to speak. After debuting in the first year in second and consolidated in the second, played five Temporao s in the top offering great performance, although his best version was offered in the Liverpool football more in keeping with its features. 13, 19, 16, 13 and 14 are numbers scorers, though a player who offered more than goals. His colleagues were not as bright attack, but he just was enough to unsettle the opposition.

Sergio Agüero

Torres came to coincide with when he arrived in 2006 with only 18 independent from, but you glimpse it was his replacement. Like the Spanish, is not a battering ram to use, but a scorer. From less to more, its performance was growing year after year to become one of the best players in the league. Everything was smeared with the soap opera that starred in this summer, their incorrect attitude and final signing by the City , but perhaps eventually prevail in the memory of the great football fan who left at the Calderon.

Diego Forlan

Could hardly have been better invested some money that was entered with Torres. After a great performance at Villarreal Atletico came to score goals and make their mark on the Atletico fans, with top scorer included in the 08-09 season and a year later to be key in the Champions League won against Fulham. Last season, in which lowered its performance after being voted player of the World South Africa and they had problems with Quique Flores, have blurred his present club. Depending on the signings made, her future could be away from Atletico. In the last Copa America, which emerged champion , again demonstrated that it is more than a scorer.

Other bets so successful

Not all have been successes in recent years, there have been duds, and some major as Rade Bogdanovic Serbian, who arrived the same year as Vieri and cost the same. The club grounds that justified this expense is included in the payment services. He was only half a season. For its part, the Greek Nikolaidis had a promising start in the season 02-03, but the injuries he departed from the ownership and did not shine. That same year came Javi Moreno, the star of Alaves UEFA runner-up, earning him to play for Milan. After his poor background in San Siro, Galliani and Berlusconi saw the light when he arrived with 1,500 kilos Atletico to sign him. Year and a half was the athlete with poor performance.

The same year came two young hopefuls brace from South America such as Uruguay and Argentina Correa Biagini, but without being duds, never ended up settling in the Athletic and were transferred several times. Correa did very well in the Racing and Biagini highlighted in Mallorca. More recently, Mista, which definitely has retired this summer after the U.S. adventure, seemed to lose the wheel after leaving the Mestalla, and French Sinama never lived up to. We ended with Serbian Kezman, star in the Eredivisie who came to Atletico in 2005 after a bad year in the Chelsea of Mourinho. Only scored eight goals, and after a while went to Fenerbahçe. Today it is playing in China.

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