“Torres and Simeone convey what Atlético de Madrid is”

EI Atlético has a huge future in its quarry. And, to be in the final of the Youth League, will need the best version of Ibra and Pablo Barrios, two of its main figures as a close in defense and magic in midfield. Aboth attend AS in Nyon before facing an imposing Salzburg, but there is no fear in the rojiblancos. A team that in the Youth League has shown that it knows how to adapt to any scenario. “Our idea is always to have the ball, but in this competition there are quite good rivals who sometimes submit us. Also in low block we are quite comfortableBarrios explains.

Atlético has been overcoming epic rounds to stand in the final four. Unforgettable is the triumph in Valdebebas. “Between Atlético and Real Madrid there is a rivalry that is inexplicable. The fact that Beating them there the way we did is a unique feeling. A victory that served bang on the table“recalls Ibra. Barrios, who went through the white quarry, does not want to talk about vindication, but about an extra. “Against Madrid it adds a plus for the derby rivalry, but the team played an impeccable game. I was able to score two goals to help the team to be in the quarterfinals. Which one do I stay with? I like the first one better, but people prefer the second one (laughs)“.

Dortmund was the next and most demanding stop, in an entire Signal Iduna Park before 20,000 Germans. “It was very close, we were in many moments without the ball. Dortmund had a lot more ball, but we were comfortable defensively and in the end we continue forward, insisting, enduring and taking the victory“, affirms an Ibra who ended up shining after having been present hours before in the victory of the elders at Old Trafford (“There was no fatigue at that moment. In the end I slept very few hours, but the fact of helping the team, playing in a stadium like Signal Iduna Park, there were no excuses not to play that game and help the team”). “It was an impressive game because of the public, the stadium, a bit of everything. They were a great team, they showed it and sometimes you have to suffer,” Barrios points out.

If there are nerves, Torres is already there to put their feet on the ground. “He has more experience than any of us and gives us peace and calm. He is a world idol and having him as a coach is lucky. Every day we learn from what he tells us to continue improving“, Says the midfielder, who sees a great similarity with Simeone: “Transmit what Atlético de Madrid is”. Something with which Ibra agrees: “Torres is a legend of this club and he transmits to us the values ​​that the club has every day in every training session.”

With the motivation of seeing Javi Serrano start with the first team, “one of ours that gives us pride and motivation to see that if he can we all can”both mark a dream: “Settle into the first team.” Barrios, who lost his mother in November, took refuge in soccer. “Every training session and every game was the moment of the day when I was trying to completely escape and it helped me to overcome my personal problems. I am very grateful to football.”

Both have references at home. In Ibra’s case “my family, my mother, my brothers, that motivate me every day to be happy. In the first team I stay with Gimenez and Savicthat I have shared experience with them and they have solidity and leadership”. On the part of Barrios: “My sister, who also practices sports, and my father, which is the one that helps me the most. From the first team I would say Koke for the work and perseverance and is the best reference. Two of the big names marked by fire in the rojiblanco project, who know that they have a great showcase in the Youth League and against Salzburg they want to demonstrate the strength of the rojiblanco blood.