Diego Simeone insists he never considered walking away from Atletico Madrid.

The Atleti coach appeared to declare he would resign after their Champions League final defeat.

But he explained on Espacio Reservado: “When I used the word 'failure' was a case in point because people are afraid of that word but 'failure' is a synonym for not reaching an objective; maybe it's a strong word to use but the reality is that is how I felt at that moment – another important moment, our second crack at the Champions League, which was the result of a huge effort by a lot of people – the club, the players, the fans... it involved a lot of hard work. So not being able to win the trophy for a second time was a failure – but a failure in the sense of not reaching an objective.

“When I said I needed time to think, what I was referring to was time to think about how I can deal with taking my responsibilities with Atlético de Madrid forward. If I had left, I wouldn't have been able to go with peace of mind. At no point did the thought of leaving enter my head – I never said I would leave, I only said I need time to think – about a lot of things, amongst them, the energy and spirit which I now need to show in front of all of those lads who, for the past four and a half years have been giving their lives for me; I also have to transmit to them the competitiveness which we are going to need again – after losing two Champions League finals."