Atletico Madrid star Rodrigo De Paul panned by club icon for "great season" remark - "I'm surprised"

Earlier this week, while speaking at an awards ceremony, Rodrigo De Paul claimed that Atletico Madrid have had a “very good season”. The Argentine midfielder believes that he and his teammates have performed well in the cup competitions, and that a fourth place finish in La Liga would solidify his stance.

Many were bemused by De Paul’s remarks, considering that Atleti’s place in next season’s Champions League is far from assured. After losing to Alaves on Sunday, Diego Simeone’s side are now only three points clear of Athletic Club, who they face at the Civitas Metropolitano this weekend.

One of those to question De Paul was Atleti icon Kiko Narvaez, who responded to the comments on El Larguero (via Relevo).

“I’m surprised by De Paul saying that if they are fourth it will be a very good season. For me, the results of a league are the fairest thing in football, because after 38 games everyone has things to complain about and favours they don’t remember.”

Many Atletico Madrid supporters believe that they should be finishing third at a minimum every season, given that they are considered among the big three alongside Barcelona and Real Madrid. Taking that into account, and the fact that they fell short in the cups, many are right to question whether it has been a successful campaign.