Ben Pawlowski
ENGLAND midfielder Conor Gallagher surprised thousands of Atletico Madrid fans with his language skills after he spoke Spanish at his official unveiling following his €40m move from Chelsea.
Thousands of Atleti supporters packed out the Estadio Metropolitano on Wednesday evening to welcome the 24-year-old after he put pen to paper on a five-year deal to end a transfer saga which saw Gallagher, who joined Chelsea aged six, forced to train with the London-based club’s under-21 squad.
Gallagher, who has been capped 18 times by England, was introduced to the crowd flanked by two motorbikes and fireworks in an elaborate ceremony more akin to a rock concert.
Handed a microphone by an Atletico Madrid representative, Gallagher waved to the crowd before saying, in Spanish: “Hello, I don’t speak much Spanish. I am very happy. Aupa Atleti!”.
On Instagram, Gallagher thanked the capacity crowd for ‘making me feel at home’.
The Atleti supporters also welcomed Argentine forward Julian Alvarez, who has joined the club from Manchester City in a deal worth over €70m.
As part of the Gallagher deal, Portuguese forward Joao Felix moved in the other direction for a fee believed to be in the region of €48m.
Gallagher could make his debut this weekend at home to Girona, who shocked the footballing world by qualifying for the Champions League last season.
