Rodrigo Mendoza, who recently signed as a midfielder for Atletico Madrid until 2031, insisted on Wednesday that manager Diego Simeone "will be good for him". He described his move to the club as "a very important step" in his career and called the moment "very special".

"Everyone knows Simeone's demands; we know what he's like, and I believe it will suit me well. We understand each other. Ultimately, I'm clear on what the club and the 'Cholo' expect from me. I'm simply very grateful to him, all the staff, and all my teammates who have welcomed me as if I were at home," he reflected during his presentation at the Metropolitano stadium.

"Everyone has welcomed me very well, especially the captains. Koke was the first to greet me and offer advice, and the veterans have treated me excellently. The entire squad, all the staff, and the manager, including Koke, Griezmann, and Pablo Barrios, have made me feel at home, and I'm very grateful," he added.

Mendoza admitted it was "a very special moment" for him, "for his whole family and all the people" who have "always supported him".

"It's a very important step in my career, a very exciting moment, with a challenge ahead where my only focus is to do things well at a great club like Atletico Madrid and achieve great things, which is what these fans and this club deserve," he explained at the Metropolitano.

"Atletico truly feels like a giant club. When I've faced them several times in my career, both this season and last year in the Copa del Rey, it's always a struggle to play against a team like Atletico de Madrid, with the players they have and the club itself, which is so big. It has always been a tough challenge. Now I'm here, and it's a wonderful challenge for me," he continued, while also thanking president Enrique Cerezo and the club "for the trust placed" in him.

His signing accelerated on the final day of the transfer window. He was registered with LaLiga just three minutes before the deadline. "It was a very frantic day, honestly. I knew the situation days before, and everything happened very quickly on the last day, but it was a very exciting, very happy day when I arrived in Madrid in the final hours. It was a very beautiful, very special, and very exciting moment," he recalled.

Mendoza admitted receiving other offers, but he was "clear" about joining Atletico Madrid and didn't consider "another option".

'A dream come true'

Mexican international midfielder Obed Vargas, who signed until 30 June 2030, has been a devoted Atletico Madrid fan since attending a Champions League match with his father at the now-demolished Vicente Calderon. On Wednesday, he described his "dream come true", but stressed that his journey doesn't end there, as he now "has to prove himself on the pitch".

"I want to thank everyone at Atletico Madrid for this opportunity to be here. My feelings are truly indescribable. I don't know how to put it into words. It's a dream come true to have my family here, to have been an Atletico Madrid fan since childhood; I've seen great players presented on this very stage, so it's an honour for me to be here," the 20-year-old footballer, dressed in a blue suit, white shirt, and white trainers, said in his opening remarks at the Metropolitano stadium auditorium.

"A dream has come true, but now it's time to work. I've been a fan and will continue to be, but now I have other jobs to do. I have to prove myself on the pitch and fight every day for this club, which deserves to be at the very top," declared the player, who arrived from Seattle Sounders and has already completed two training sessions with Atletico.

Having now joined the squad after his presentation, with the first match already in sight — this Thursday in the Copa del Rey against Betis — he now faces the task of "competing with those idols".

"To battle, to play, and to show what I'm made of. They noticed me for a reason, and I'm here," asserted Obed Vargas, who now needs to earn the trust of manager Diego Simeone and forge his "own history and path" at Atletico de Madrid.

Obed Vargas described himself as a "disciplined" player who prioritises the team.

"I believe I'm an English-style '8', a 'box-to-box' midfielder, who can contribute a lot in both offensive and defensive phases. I hope to bring that and prove it to all the Atletico fans,” the midfielder looked ahead, noting he has "many memories" of the 'rojiblanco' team, of which he has been an outspoken supporter since childhood.

"The first was right at the Vicente Calderon, where I went with my dad to an Atletico Madrid Champions League match, and that was the moment I fell in love with this institution and this club," recalled the Alaska-born player.

He would now tell his younger self "to keep dreaming, to keep doing what he did, that he wouldn't change history for anything, to keep working and keep dreaming." He also thought of Antoine Griezmann when he signed for the 'rojiblanco' club last Monday and pointed to the Atletico de Madrid anthem as the song that defines his current moment.

His signing happened at full speed. "Everything progressed very quickly. Everyone knows the love I have for the club. So, there wasn't much to say, honestly," he remarked.

Rodrigo Mendoza

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