The central arrives from Espanyol, but is a Madrid squad. Adam, Llorente and Morata were also brought up in La Fábrica and Saúl had a fleeting step.

The historical enmity between Atlético and Real Madrid has not been transferred to the rojiblanca squad. Five of the 21 players that currently make up the colchonero team have lived a period in the white quarry. In addition, James Rodriguez could be the icing on the renovated mattress project if signed from Real Madrid. Except in the case of Saúl, whose passing through La Fábrica was fleeting with just one year in the white team, Adán, Marcos Llorente, Morata and the recent signing Mario Hermoso reached the First Division as Real Madrid players.

However, despite their white past, the idea of ​​all these players has been to win their new fans with work and effort on the field. Saúl is different, since he tried eight years in the white quarry, but decided to leave because he was not comfortable. El ilicitano has reviewed in several interviews the bad that happened in his only year as Madridista, even claiming that his boots were stolen and even his food. He finally joined Atlético while still a child and as a rojiblanco he has had a meteoric career, debuting with the first team on March 8, 2012 with only 17 years, 3 months and 18 days. Now, he has accumulated 249 meetings with the first team and will enter the quartet of captains with the departures of Godín, Griezmann and Juanfran.

Morata for his part has been the last player capable of winning over the athletic fans on the field. And is that in his childhood had already felt the rojiblanco, but not having excessive minutes led him out, first to Getafe and then to Real Madrid. The white team arrived as a cadet and since then its progression was enormous until it debuted with the first team in December 2010. After starting to stand out in the 2013/14 season, Juventus took their services, but Madrid saved a repurchase option that was executed two years later. In the 2016/17 campaign he scored 20 goals in 43 games before joining Chelsea.

Since that year of white, his best scoring season so far, Morata entered the eyes of Simeone, who always wanted his signing. He got it last January and the striker is delighted. "Atleti is the best thing that could have happened to me, I feel very identified by Atleti's philosophy, not only in football, but in everything, in the end, it's different, many times when I try to explain it, there are people who do not understand it. It would mean much more for me to win important things with Atleti than all the ones I've won in the past, because it's different, it's enjoyed in another way. " From now on the '9' of the team, Morata has won his fans match by match (he was the second top scorer of the team after Griezmann).

Half a year before the tip had reached the Adam team. His debut with the first white team also took place in December 2010 and in total he would be part of Real Madrid for five seasons after spending eleven more years in the lower categories. Later and after a brief cession in the Italian Cagliari he would settle in LaLiga in his four and a half seasons in the Betis before embarking on the project of the Athletic one as substitute of Oblak. During his first season at Atletico he played five games, four of the Copa del Rey and the last of the League against Levante. In the coaching staff they consider him the ideal to play that role, a veteran goalkeeper who knows how to respond when he plays.

Finally, there is the case of Marcos Llorente. The pivot has been chosen by Simeone to cover the low of Rodrigo on his march to Manchester City and from the first day is impressing in training. The 24-year-old did not enjoy opportunities at Madrid and now wants to show his level as athletic. With his transfer, he became the second player of the 21st century to directly change the white team for the rojiblanco after Jurado. From the first day his message has been that he will try to win over his new fans on the field and not with words.

Beautiful in turn came from Real Madrid on loan to Valladolid in the 2015/16 season after ten years in the white quarry. He would return to Real Madrid Castilla before heading to Espanyol, where he has played two seasons before Simeone put his eyes on him as one of the most promising defenses in Spain.

Juanfran and Filipe, role models

Although Atletico will have a large representation of its staff members with a white past, two of the players who said goodbye this summer had also experienced this situation and ended up becoming benchmarks. The two have left the club after finishing contract on June 30 and did not extend the signed. Juanfran played eight and a half seasons at Atlético and has been one of the great symbols of the Cholista heart. With the first team of Real Madrid had debuted in 2004.

Filipe for his part has lived eight seasons as rojiblanco (with one year in between at Chelsea). In Real Madrid Castilla spent a season ceded (2005/06) by the Brazilian Figueirense and to end up triumphing first in Deportivo and later in Atlético, where he is one of the best left-backs in his history. With these two players on staff, Atlético finished last season with 25% of their team with a white background, a percentage that could be very similar to that of this course.