La Liga champions Atletico Madrid have become the mirror image of Diego Simeone as a well-organised and hard-working team with a fierce commitment and a strong rebellious streak. Prowling the touchline clad all in black with his hair slicked back, Simeone has cultivated a kind of gangster look as he successfully unsettles Real Madrid and Barcelona, the football establishment in Spain. The combative Argentine refused to accept publicly that Atletico, with far inferior resources, would be able to compete with the big two but with huge effort and a never say die attitude he proved he was up for the challenge.

Diego Simeone is thrown into the air by his players as they celebrate winning
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La Liga in May


Just over a month ago Joachim Low’s team arrived in Brazil with the mentality of champions. They bullied and beat everything in sight. Ask Per Mertesacker, a late substitute in the Maracana, what it takes to be a World Cup winner and he will tell you. ‘You think a Mickey Mouse team reaches the last eight of the World Cup?’ he snorted after they needed extra-time to beat Algeria 2-1 in Porto Alegre. On Sunday they hit all their targets. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Fans go wild in Berlin as Germany beat Argentina 1-0 Inspired: Low says his final words to Mario Gotze before sending the matchwinner on

However much they will crow about the number of coaches in
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Germany after their fourth triumph, it takes a special unit to be together for seven weeks.


Barcelona, Spain (CNN) -- World champion Jorge Lorenzo has told CNN that he has a difficult relationship with his former teammate, motorcycling legend Valentino Rossi. The Spaniard usurped the seven-time MotoGP titleholder last season, setting records for most wins and points scored as Rossi struggled to recover after a series of injuries. The 23-year-old Lorenzo accused Rossi, now 32, of dangerous riding in Japan last October before clinching his maiden crown in Malaysia in the following race. The Italian subsequently ended his seven-year stint at Yamaha, where he and Lorenzo had been awkward stablemates since 2008, and joined Ducati.

"Because Ducati being an
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Italian brand ... it's really difficult, but for them it's a nice idea."