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Flying can be a tiring experience but Atletico Madrid star Fernando Torres looked refreshed after arriving in Milan with the rest of the Atleti squad ahead of Saturday’s Champions League final.
Torres had appeared half asleep before he got on the flight as Diego Simeone’s side jetted off for Milan from Madrid’s Barajas International Airport.
However the striker appeared to have caught up on some sleep as he arrived with his team-mates ahead of Saturday’s European showpiece.
Simeone will need the ex-Liverpool man to be at his best if Atletico are to down their Madrid rivals Real at the San Siro on Saturday night.
Torres has scored just the single goal in this season’s Champions League but it was a vital one in their quarter-final first leg tie at the Nou Camp to set up victory over Barcelona.
Simeone himself was all smiles after touching down in Milan. The Argentinian manager was dressed in a club-issue two piece and looked happy to got the travelling out of the way.
Earlier on the the rest of the Atleti squad arrived for their flight to Milan looking a little more laid-back.
Antoine Griezmann, a target for a number of Europe’s elite clubs, is a under a bit of a transfer storm currently. The Frenchman’s agent announced on Wednesday that the striker was considering a number of offers from interesting options.
However Atletico president Enrique Cerezo has stressed Griezzman, who has scored 32 goals in all competitions this season, is going nowhere.
Cerezo told French radio station RMC: ‘Antoine Griezmann is an Atletico Madrid player. He also has a long-term contract with the club. I don’t want him to leave.’
The speculation appeared to have washed over the 25-year-old as he prepared to fly out for the biggest game of his career so far. Although the striker clearly did not get the memo about Atleti’s standard issue trainers, choosing instead to wear a white pair provided by personal sponsor Puma.
Koke and former Manchester City defender Stefan Savic both tried to look conspicuous in sunglasses as they headed for the terminal.
Chelsea flop Filipe Luis seemed rather preoccupied with his club tie on the walk to the terminal.
Perhaps a few other members of the Atletico squad should have followed his lead as some looked a little like revelling bankers on a Friday night. Juanfran in particular was looking especially dishevelled.
Atletico are look to overturn the result of the 2014 final where they lost in heartbreaking fashion to the same opponents.
They led at for 54 minutes at the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon before Sergio Ramos scored in the third minute of second-half stoppage time to bring about a collapse in extra time.
Simeone does not want his side to aim for revenge at the Sani Siro, he says it too cold a reminder of what has gone before and prefers to a more positive midset.
‘There is no such thing as revenge in football, or in life for that matter, just new opportunities,’ the Atleti coach told uefa.com.
‘Revenge is a negative word, because it harks back to a defeat; on the other hand, “opportunity” is about optimism, confidence and what’s to come, and that’s what we want to show in the Champions League.’
