Quinton Fortune, a former star of Bafana Bafana, has spoken out about his time spent training with Diego Simeone and Atletico Madrid, comparing the two teams' grueling workouts.

at the age of eighteen, he crossed paths with Simeone, a notoriously aggressive and fiercely competitive Argentine midfielder. Fortune reports that younger players frequently found it difficult to keep up with Simeone's intense style of play.

Fortune praised Simeone, who exhibited leadership traits and dogged persistence throughout his playing career, in an interview with the British newspaper The Times.

Fortune, reflecting on those times, recalled how Simeone would "kick the c**p out of young players," emphasizing the rigorous physical demands of practice.

Because of his Argentine accent, the South African also confessed that Simeone could be hard to understand at times. Despite this, the midfielder's unwavering attitude was clearly visible despite the language barrier.

Even though they were outmatched by the more seasoned opponents, Fortune and Veljko Paunovic, another young player, refused to back down. "We returned some of it," Fortune recalled.

After bringing his fiery personality and relentless pursuit of excellence to Atletico Madrid's bench, Simeone quickly rose to prominence as one of the most recognizable names in football management.

Over the course of his fifteen-year professional career, Fortune suited up for a number of teams, including Manchester United, Mallorca, Bolton Wanderers, Brescia, and Doncaster Rovers.

In addition to the Africa Cup of Nations and the FIFA World Cups in 1998 and 2002, he played for South Africa in those events.

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