Ever since he closed out his senior career in 2006, with Argentine football club Racing, Diego Simeone has spent most of his time on the sidelines, commanding his teams into battle. Indeed, Simeone has been coaching for nearly a decade, including a stint at Atletico Madrid that will hit its fifth year during the upcoming season. However, in late June Simeone temporarily swapped his coaching duties for a new job: team photographer at the launch of the Atletico Madrid home kit 2015 - 2016.

Simeone was the man behind the camera as the players of Atletio unveiled their brand new kits for the 2015 2016 season. He instructed his players on the art of taking a great soccer kit photo, and got a number of solid shots of Koke, Jose Gimenez, Saul Niguez, Arda Turan, and Antoine Griezmann wearing the brand new Atletico Madrid home jersey 2015 2016.

The New Shirt

The latest incarnation of the Atletico Madrid home shirt is only a slight redesign from the 2014 2015 Atletico Madrid Home Shirt 2015 - 2016version. The football club's traditional red and white vertical stripe motif is still intact, and Nike is back as the kit manufacturer. Said another way, this shirt is certainly recognizable as an Atletico Madrid kit.

However, the Atletico Madrid home jersey 2015 2016 does offer a few tweaks from what we've seen in the past. For instance, where the 2014 2015 jersey had vibrant blue trim on the sleeves and collar, this year's soccer shirt is much more subtle with its use of blue, limiting the color to small strips around the collar and down the sides.

The primary shirt sponsor for Madrid jerseys has also changed this year. For the past three seasons, the country of Azerbaijan has been Atletico's main kit sponsor, with the nation's traditional "Land of Fire" phrase appearing on the front of team shirts. This year, online retail trading company Plus500 is taking over as the primary kit sponsor, and their logo and brand name can be found on the front of Atletico's 2015 2016 soccer jerseys.

1995/96 2015/16

One of the cooler features of the Atletico Madrid home jersey 2015 2016 is a tag woven into the inside of the collar that reads "1995/96 2015/16." The inscription pays tribute to Atletico Madrid's historical 1995 1996 season, when they won a double of the La Liga title and the Copa del Rey.

Many Mattress Maker fans look back upon 1995 1996 as one of the best seasons in Atletico Madrid history. The football club won the league with a point total of 87-edging out Valencia by four points-and beat FC Barcelona in extra time of the Copa del Rey final.

1995 1996 was also the last year that the Mattress Makers won a La Liga title until their recent return to the top in 2013 2014. Ironically, 2013 2014 almost saw Atletico Madrid win another double, between the La Liga and the Champions League. However, a loss in the UCL against crosstown rivals, Real Madrid, means that the Mattress Makers will continue to chase a second double in 2015 2016.

Other Kits

The 2015 2016 Atletico Madrid away kit will also pay tribute to the football club's 1995 1996 season. Where last year's away shirt boasted a subtle light gray design, this year's jersey is a striking navy blue with red accents down the side. The shirt was clearly inspired by the away jersey that the Mattress Makers wore in 1995 1996, and further underlines the 2015 2016 soccer season as an attempt to recapture both the La Liga and the Copa del Rey.

At Soccer Box, we are still waiting to receive stock of the new 2015 2016 away jersey, but we have both adult and kids sizes available of the home Atletico Madrid shirt! Stop by our shop today to pick up one of these new kit designs, or to browse our selection for other shirts and related football merchandise. You can keep an eye on our social media platforms for news about other kit launches and new store arrivals. Find us online today, on Twitter, Tumblr, LinkedIn and other social networks.