side won the national championship after an 11-year wait, he played in all the matches and minutes, netting 15 times. They also reached the domestic cup final in a 1–2 loss against Vitória de Setúbal, with him scoring through a fourth-minute penalty; in the campaign's UEFA Cup he also appeared in all the matches, netting four times including twice against Dukla Banská Bystrica in a 3–0 away win, with his team eventually reaching the round-of-32. The 2005 summer transfer window saw Simão targeted by Liverpool in an offer worth approximately £12 million, though negotiations reportedly failed over Benfica's increase in asking price. He continued his excellent form into 2005–06, helping his side in the UEFA Champions League campaign, where they made it to the quarter-finals. He played in eight of a possible ten matches in the tournament, including the 1–2 loss at Manchester United in the group stage, firing his team level shortly before the hour with a free kick after he himself had been fouled by Alan Smith; in the knockout stages he helped stun title holders Liverpool, unleashing an unstoppable shot into the top left-hand corner of Pepe Reina's goal, as the Portuguese won 2–0 at Anfield and 3–0 overall. The following year several clubs, such as Manchester United and again Liverpool also revealed interest in Simão, but he decided to stay at the Estádio da Luz. Atlético Madrid Finally, on 26 July 2007, Atlético Madrid reached an agreement to sign Simão from Benfica for a fee of €20 million. During his first two seasons, in which he was an undisputed starter, he scored seven goals apiece, as the team finished fourth in the top division on both occasions. On 12 April 2009, Simão entered in the hundred-year history of the capital club by scoring its 4,000th goal in the league with a left-footed diagonal shot against Deportivo. In the ensuing summer he became one of Atlético's captains for the new campaign, receiving that role from coach Abel Resino after a reshuffle; as the Colchoneros underachieved overall, he scored in the Champions League at APOEL FC in a 1–1 away draw, a goal that secured the club's place in the season's UEFA Europa League. On 14 January 2010, Simão scored twice in a 5–1 home victory over Recreativo de Huelva that qualified to the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey (5–4 on aggregate), including through an 83rd-minute free