Spanish goalkeeper Antonio Adán, who plays for Esteghlal Tehran, has arrived in the Spanish capital.

 Antonio Adán and his former Real Madrid teammate Iker Casillas

Real Madrid goalkeeper "escaped" from Iran before the airspace closure

Spanish goalkeeper Antonio Adán, who plays for Iranian club Esteghlal Tehran and previously played for Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid, and Real Betis, arrived in the Spanish capital on Saturday on one of the last flights to leave Tehran before the region's airspace closure. He indicated that he would not return under the current circumstances.

The goalkeeper told the "Tablelo Deportivo" program on Radio Nacional de España that the conflict caught him by surprise when he left the country, but he was able to reach Madrid, where his family lives. Adán said: "It's true that there have been constant reports of possible attacks during these months, and it's true that they told us a few days ago that the next 48 hours could be crucial. And then, the whole conflict began."

The US and Israel launched strikes on Iran on Saturday, and Tehran responded with missiles, according to the Israeli military. The strikes led to a wave of flight cancellations to several destinations in the Middle East, with many airlines suspending their routes due to the closure of numerous airspaces in the region.

The Spanish goalkeeper managed to leave the country, but his Spanish-Moroccan teammate Munir El Haddadi, formerly of Barcelona, ​​Getafe, and Las Palmas, and Spaniard Iván Sánchez, formerly of Sepahan and Real Valladolid, were less fortunate. Finding the airspace closed, they are now trying to leave by land.

Antonio Adán with the Iranian Esteghlal team

He added: “They didn’t have time to leave. My flight to Turkey was at 6:30, and they were heading to Dubai at 9:00, and they couldn’t leave. They had to leave by land. It’s true that I haven’t been able to contact them much because of the poor network coverage and internet quality.”

The Spanish goalkeeper explained that after his team's 2-1 league victory on Friday, their coach, Sohrab Bakhtiarizadeh, granted them two days off, so he took the opportunity to return to Spain, although he now doubts when he will be able to return to Iran.

He concluded: "We were supposed to return on Monday. Obviously, we can't because of the airspace closure. We haven't been able to contact the club yet due to the communication blackout. We realize we can't return, and under these circumstances, I think the best option is not to."