Simeone staying put at Atletico

Diego Simeone stressed on Sunday he will remain as Atletico Madrid coach next season after the Spanish giants waved goodbye to their Vicente Calderon stadium with a 3-1 win over Athletic Bilbao.

Simeone has transformed Atletico's fortunes over the past five-and-a-half years and promised to stay to see the club move into their new 67,000 Wanda Metropolitano home next season.

"The journalists ask me constantly if I am going to stay. Yes, I am going to stay," Simeone told an adoring crowd as Atletico honoured legends past and present in a ceremony after their final competitive match at the Calderon.

"And do you know why I am going to stay? I am going to stay because this club has a future and this future is all of us."

Atletico finished third in La Liga for a third straight season since breaking Real Madrid and Barcelona's hegemony by winning the title in 2013/14.

Simeone's men also fell to Barca and Madrid in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey and Champions League respectively.

However, the Argentine, who also had two spells as a player for Atletico, said his ties to the club go beyond winning titles.

"There are other teams that may have more money, a few trophies more than us, but they will never match the feeling you (the fans) have for Atletico."