The Rojiblanco expedition already in Shanghai

Atletico Madrid’s expedition is already in Shanghai. The team landed in the Chinese city at 07.35 (01.35 in Spain). The rojiblanco team will stay there until Monday 7th August, when they will travel back to Madrid.

Heading up the expedition is Miguel Ángel Gil Marín, Managing Director of the Club, in addition board directors Lázaro Albarracín, Fernando García Abásolo, Antonio Alonso and Óscar Gil Marín are also present. Also travelling are Jesús García Pitarch, Sporting Director, and Emilio Gutiérrez, General Director of Publicity, Communication and Marketing. The General Commercial Director, Guillermo Moraleda, had already been in Shanghai for a few days making sure of all the arrangements for when the expedition arrived.

The latest news on a sporting level has been the incorporation of Mario Suárez into the trip. The young midfielder became a European under 19 champion with the Spanish national side last Saturday, and has joined the tour after processing the necessary travel visa in Frankfurt. On the other hand, Braulio and Toché have returned to Madrid, where they will report to José Antonio Sosa Espinel in the rojiblanco reserves.

Javier Aguirre will have a total of 23 players to use in the friendly matches. On Friday 4th August (18.15 local time) they line up against the Kashima Antlers, one of the most important teams in Japan, and on Sunday 6th August they will play against Shanghai Shenhua (20.30, local time). The fourth team in the tournament will be Manchester City.

‘Promomadrid’, official sponsor
The tournament will be played in the ‘Hongkou Stadium’, a modern stadium with a capacity of 35,000 spectators, all seated, all has all the latest facilities and an exclusive VIP area. Shanghai Shenhua are one of the leading teams in the Chinese Superleague, and their stadium in habitually full of thousands of loyal supporters.

As soon as they arrived, the players travelled to the ‘Sofitel Jin Jiang Oriental Pudong’, one of the lost luxurious hotels in the city. After breakfast, the rojiblanco squad plans to go directly to the Shanghai Shenhua Training Complex, situated half an hour from the hotel. Once there they will have their first training session on Chinese soil. The training complex itself is a highly rated facility, counted on a mini-stadium with an athletics track, various football pitches, a spectacular swimming pool and a fully equipped gym.

Atletico Madrid Football Club counts on the inestimable support of ‘Promomadrid’, official Club sponsor on this journey to Shanghai. ‘Promomadrid’, Madrid International Development, is a business adjoined to the Department of Economics and Technological Innovation of the Madrid District. It was formed in 2004 with the aim of the international promotion and development of the Madrid district.

The functions of ‘Promomadrid’ are to support the internationalisation of Madrid business, in both export and investment, as well as to attract foreign investment in Madrid. In addition, another of their objectives in the improve the international reputation of Madrid in the economic world.