Why Arsenal Target Jose Gimenez Is Priceless to Atletico Madrid

Talk about Uruguay’s 2014 World Cup campaign and it isn’t long before you’re discussing what Luis Suarez did to Giorgio Chiellini, but that summer in Brazil was also a coming of age for one of the country’s young talents.

Jose Gimenez—at the time a rookie centre-back who had only played one La Liga game for Atletico Madrid having signed the previous summer—was a virtual unknown even in his own country at the time of the tournament. However, he’d done enough to earn a place in coach Oscar Tabarez’s squad after impressing for the under-20s and in his brief experience in domestic football with Danubio.

The Uruguayans had been tipped to do well in Brazil, but then came Gimenez’s chance following a shock 3-1 defeat to Costa Rica in their opening game—a match in which they had led at half-time.

A red card for Maxi Pereira and an injury to veteran Diego Lugano—who had played as though he was about to get dropped anyway—meant that Tabarez had little choice but to pick the then-19-year-old for the do-or-die group game against England in Sao Paulo, and what followed was a vastly accomplished display from the teenager.

Up against forward Daniel Sturridge—who was supported by an attacking trio of Wayne Rooney, Danny Welbeck and Raheem Sterling—Gimenez stood tall, defending valiantly alongside Diego Godin as Suarez scored twice to knock England out and keep his team alive in the tournament.

Inevitably, all the post-match headlines were about the former Liverpool forward, but for Atletico fans, there was a different topic of conversation.

After all, they had barely seen this youngster who had so impressively partnered the much-loved Godin—the foundation upon which the club’s freshly secured La Liga title success had just been built.

Gimenez had little to do with that unexpected championship victory, playing just one league game in place of the absent Miranda as Atletico beat Almeria 4-2 in September 2013.

Perhaps cheering on his team-mates from the sidelines and being part of the celebrations stirred something within the teenager, because after returning from the World Cup—where he played impressively in the victory over Italy and the round-of-16 defeat to Colombia—there seemed to be a new steel and intensity to his game.

Playing alongside Godin for club and country clearly helped, and as …

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