{"id":902228,"date":"2026-04-29T04:17:15","date_gmt":"2026-04-29T09:17:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/29\/koke-likens-atleticos-champions-league-semi-final-to-a-first-date\/"},"modified":"2026-04-29T04:17:15","modified_gmt":"2026-04-29T09:17:15","slug":"koke-likens-atleticos-champions-league-semi-final-to-a-first-date","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/29\/koke-likens-atleticos-champions-league-semi-final-to-a-first-date\/","title":{"rendered":"Koke likens Atletico\u00b4s Champions League semi-final to a first date"},"content":{"rendered":"

Soccer <\/p>\n

\n

<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Atletico Madrid\u2019s Champions League semi-final first leg with Arsenal has been described as being similar to a first date by Koke as he looks to end his team\u2019s wait for the trophy.<\/p>\n

Diego Simeone\u2019s side welcome Arsenal to the Metropolitano on Wednesday as both teams look to take a huge step towards the showpiece match in Budapdest on May 30. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s a competition that Koke is yet to win across his 17-year career with Atleti, though the Spaniard did start in the two finals his team reached in 2013-14 and 2015-16. <\/p>\n

However, Atleti were beaten on both occasions by Real Madrid, while the Colchoneros also lost the 1973-74 final when Bayern Munich emerged 4-0 victors in Brussels. <\/p>\n

But even for Koke, who is Atleti\u2019s record appearance maker in the competition (116), the nerves of a semi-final in UEFA\u2019s flagship competition still remain, and the 34-year-old revealed it was no different ahead of taking on the Premier League leaders. <\/p>\n

\u201cAs the day gets closer, I get nervous and my stomach churns. It\u2019s kind of like your first date with a girl you\u2019ve just met,\u201d Koke told reporters.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut once you get to the game and start warming up, it all goes away. I feel the same excitement and anticipation as I would for a final.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen I stay calm to play the game, it\u2019s only football, and I try to remain composed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Focused on Arsenal pic.twitter.com\/r9eU0R7FKp<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Atl\u00e9tico de Madrid (@atletienglish) April 28, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Koke has won nine major honours with Atleti, including two LaLiga titles, two Europa League crowns and the Copa del Rey back in 2012-13. <\/p>\n

But when asked whether this was his last shot at achieving Champions League glory, Koke remained optimistic should his team not be successful this time around. <\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t feel that way. I feel like I\u2019m enjoying it immensely; you don\u2019t play in a semi-final every year,\u201d Koke added.<\/p>\n

\u201cAgainst Barcelona, we said it would be the seventh time Atl\u00e9tico has made it this far. This is my fourth.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know if there will be another one, but I\u2019m going to enjoy it just like all the previous ones.\u201d<\/p>\n

Atletico and Arsenal will meet for just the fourth time in European competition, with half of those coming in this season\u2019s Champions League (2\/4).<\/p>\n

The Gunners won 4-0 in a league phase meeting last October, which remains Atletico\u2019s joint-heaviest defeat in the competition (lost by four on five occasions).<\/p>\n

And another player who may have one final shot at winning the Champions League with Atletico is Antoine Griezmann, who departs for Orlando City SC at the end of the season. <\/p>\n

Griezmann has been directly involved in 24.2% of Atletico\u2019s goals in the Champions League (56\/231 \u2013 40 goals, 16 assists) across his two stints with the club. <\/p>\n

That is the highest percentage by any player for a team that has scored 100+ goals in the competition, just ahead of former team-mate Lionel Messi for Barcelona (24.1%).<\/p>\n

\u201cIf he could say goodbye with the Champions League, it would be incredible for everyone, but we\u2019re just as motivated by the hope of winning the Champions League,\u201d Koke said about whether winning the competition would be the perfect farewell gift for the Frenchman. <\/p>\n

\u201cRegardless of the fact that Antoine won\u2019t be here next year, we\u2019re playing to achieve the ultimate prize, and the ultimate prize is the Champions League.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Read More<\/a>SoccerNews<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Soccer Atletico Madrid\u2019s Champions League semi-final first leg with Arsenal has been described as being similar to a first date by Koke as he looks to end his team\u2019s wait for the trophy. Diego Simeone\u2019s side welcome Arsenal to the Metropolitano on Wednesday as both teams look to take a huge step towards the showpiece […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":902229,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[148850,44667,2005],"tags":[148849,147786],"class_list":{"0":"post-902228","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-atleticos","8":"category-likens","9":"category-soccer","10":"tag-atleticos","11":"tag-likens"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/902228","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=902228"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/902228\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/902229"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=902228"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=902228"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=902228"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}