Dubai: AC Milan's collection of global superstars are poised to return to the Middle East for the Emirates-sponsored Winter Tour and to participate in the Emirates Challenge Cup.
The seven-time European Cup winners, who play local side Al Ahli on January 2, arrive for their Winter Tour on Monday.
Their pre-match training sessions will take place at Al Ahli Football Club and are open to the public. Training takes place between 9-11am and 3-5pm each day, giving fans a rare opportunity to see their favourite stars in preparatory action.
The Milan side will include the likes of Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldinho - Fifa World Player of the Year winner 2004 and 2005 — and Robinho; in addition to Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Clarence Seedorf and Pato.
Warmer climate
The club's stars, who are returning to Dubai for the third time, are keen to return to the emirates, both for the warmer winter training climate and the Challenge against Al Ahli.
AC Milan Captain, Massimo Ambrosini, is looking forward to the trip: "Returning to Dubai for the Winter Tour is something I've been looking forward to a lot. Dubai is such a unique city with so much on offer and I cannot wait to play in front of what I know is a very passionate crowd," he said.
"It's not every day you can see such a phenomenal collection of players such as Ronaldinho, Robinho, Ambrosini and Pato and in training. This is a wonderful opportunity for football fans in Dubai as the AC Milan stars prepare for the upcoming season," said Mohammad Mattar, Emirates' Divisional Senior Vice President, Airport Services.
"With tickets for the match selling fast, we are encouraging the public to buy their tickets as soon as possible to avoid disappointment," added Mattar.
Regular tickets prices are: Dh100 - Dh150 for adults and Dh50 - Dh75 for children under 12. They are on sale at Virgin Megastores, Timeout/ITP Ticketline http://www.itp.net/tickets/ and Emirates Group HQ opposite Terminal 3.
