"I'ts an honour to have a manager like Simeone"

Matteo Ruggeri, Atletico's new full-back until June 2030, stressed on several occasions during his presentation on Wednesday that "it's a dream to join one of the best teams in the world" and to wear their colours, and stressed that the moment the opportunity arose to come to the 'Colchonero' team, he didn't hesitate for a second.

"It's a dream to come to this club because it's one of the best in the world. When I realised I had this opportunity, I didn't hesitate for a second. It's a dream come true and I hope to win titles with this shirt. We have some very strong objectives and we have magnificent players in every position," said Ruggeri in the auditorium of the Riyadh Air Metropolitano, accompanied by, among others, Enrique Cerezo, the club's president, and Carlos Bucero, the director general of football.

"I'm very happy to be here. For me it's an incredible opportunity that I'm going to try to make the most of. Before arriving at the club, Juan Musso - with whom he coincided at Atalanta - called me and told me what the project was going to be like and I didn't hesitate for a second because I was convinced of my choice and I'm looking forward to wearing the colours of a club with a great history," he added.

"I'm going to give everything for this shirt and for the fans, who have given me a warm welcome everywhere we've been. The most important thing as a new player is to show my attachment to the shirt and give everything until I'm exhausted, and that's the most important thing because the rest will follow," he concluded.

The left-back, who will wear the number '3' vacated by César Azpilicueta, comes from Atalanta, where he trained from the age of nine. At 18, he wore the first team shirt for the first time, making his debut in November 2020 in a Champions League match against Liverpool.

After a loan spell at Salernitana, he returned to Atalanta, where in the last two seasons he became a key player, which led him to win the Europa League with 'La Dea' in the 2023-2024 season and be chosen in the ideal eleven of the competition.

In addition, he has been an international in all of Italy's youth categories and was called up by the senior team in March 2025, on the occasion of the Nations League quarter-final tie against Germany.

Regarding his new coach, Diego Pablo Simeone, the Italian was full of praise: "For me it's an honour to have a coach like Simeone. I've been struck from the beginning by the intensity he puts into every training session and I love his style. I'm looking forward to playing the official matches."

"I've had an excellent impression of the training sessions because the ball is used a lot in all the exercises and with a very high intensity and I love that. I come from a team that played with that style and these characteristics and I'm delighted to continue training in this way," added the player, who also had very good words for his team-mates.

"They have welcomed me in an excellent way and I have felt very comfortable from the beginning, both on and off the pitch, and I thank them for that from the bottom of my heart. We are a very strong team and we are looking forward to starting the season in the best possible way," he said.

For the moment, along with Matteo Ruggeri, Atletico have signed Alex Baena, Thiago Almada, Johnny Cardoso, Marc Pubill, David Hancko, and have secured the continuity of the loanees Juan Musso and Clément Lenglet.

The event was introduced by Enrique Cerezo, president of Atletico, who wished the defender the best of luck in his time at the Madrid club.

"Ruggeri is a left-back with enormous potential who has a fantastic future ahead of him. I am convinced that with your arrival the competitiveness of the defence increases in order to achieve the great challenges of the following season. This will be your home, which we hope will be for a long time, and I am sure that after your time at the club you will always be another fan of Atletico," he remarked.