‘I did it to show we have cojones’: Simeone explains crotch-grabbing UCL celebration (VIDEO)

The Argentine has long been considered one of football’s more colorful characters, something which was evident once again after Jose Maria Gimenez opened the scoring in what was a tense encounter in Atletico’s new home at the Estadio Wanda Metropolitano, the venue for this season’s Champions League final.

Moments after Gimenez’s 78th-minute opener, a pumped Simeone turned to a section of the ground housing the home support, grabbing his crotch with both hands in a heated celebration.

However, once emotions calmed after the final whistle he was keen to explain himself and indicate that his gesture wasn’t intended as an insult to Juventus.

“It’s not a nice gesture, I admit, but I felt the need to do it,” Simeone told media after the match. “I did it as a player at Lazio and I did it again to show our fans that we have cojones. I can only apologize if anyone was offended. It wasn’t aimed at the other team, I was turning towards our own supporters.”

His explanation did not come before Twitter caught wind of Simeone’s saucy celebration and predictably poked fun at the matter with a plethora of memes, gifs and one-liners.

A Diego Godin strike minutes later earned Simeone’s side a 2-0 win in the Spanish capital, leaving Cristiano Ronaldo and Juventus an uphill task in advancing to the next stage of the competition.

Simeone has come under fire from both fans and the game’s governing body for his actions in the past. He was banned from the touchline for Atletico Madrid’s Europa League final triumph last season after being charged with insulting an official and improper conduct during the semi-final with Arsenal.

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