Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone: 'There aren't 6 teams better than us'

Manager Diego Simeone is adamant that Atletico Madrid are among the European elite.

Asked on Saturday about the offers that the club have received this summer, Simeone responded by heaping praise on Atleti, stressing that there aren't many teams who can compete in both a sporting sense and a financial sense.

"Atletico always had the priority," Simeone said, according to AS. "In addition, there are not many teams who are better in a sporting sense. There aren't six teams better than us. (Real) Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, maybe Chelsea, and then us. Financially we are in the (top) 15."

Simeone's words definitely hold some merit. Since he took over at the Vicente Calderon in 2011, Atleti have claimed the 2011-12 Europa League title, the 2012-13 Copa del Rey crown, the 2013-14 La Liga title, and reached the final of the 2013-14 Champions League.

It's a remarkable accomplishment for a club that competes in what many have viewed as a two-horse league for a considerable amount of time, and they're already bulking up for next season as Atleti president Enrique Cerezo confirmed an interest in Carlos Tevez.