Real Madrid

The players of the first team arrived in Valdebebas this morning at 8:30 to have a medical examination that was followed by a 'fashion session' during which they tried on their new official Hugo Boss suits for the 2008/09 season. The squad then attended training prior to jumping on the IB4856 flight to Graz, Austria.

The 'real' pre-season begins on Tuesday. After a five-day stint in the Algarve with their families, during which they began doing some training exercises, the Real Madrid men now travel to Austria for some heavier and more intense work.

Twenty-three players met in Madrid Airport's Termnial 4 building to catch the 16:00 flight. They will spend 10 days in Irdning again this year before travelling to London to play in the Emirates Cup.

Robinho rejoined the team this morning and said he was very excited about going to Austria with the rest of the squad. Castilla players Chema Antón, Dani Parejo, Felipe Ramos and Juanmi Callejón have been invited to join the first team during their stay in Irdning.

Once in Graz, Real Madrid will drive to the Austrian town by bus and stay at the Scholss Pichlarn Hotel. They will attend double training sessions every day.