Spain received a heart-warm welcome on their arrival in the South African town of Rustenburg, the city where they will face New Zealand in their Confederations Cup debut on June 14.

From the moment the players stepped foot out of the plane, their arrival at the team hotel, to their arrival at their training headquarters, the entire Spain squad and coaching staff have been welcomed with open arms.

Vicente Del Bosque’s squad enjoyed a double training session at the Olimpia Park rugby stadium. The fact that Spain had to train on a rugby pitch does not come as a real surprise, as rugby is the number one sport in South Africa.

There is plenty of interest in the Premier League on the African continent, especially in South Africa. The locals regularly tune it to watch matches broadcast live, and with Liverpool having a large following in the country, it came as no surprise to see the fans chant Torres’ name.

Over 1,000 people lined the stands as the Olimpia Park as the European Champions trained for the first time since arriving from Azerbaijan. The whole squad of players were cheered on by onlookers, fans and large groups of school children, but it was Fernando Torres who was the main attraction. The striker was surrounded by fans on the short walk from the bus to the stadium.

All 23 players trained under the orders of Vicente Del Bosque as the crowd chanted and danced throughout the 70 minute long work-out. The atmosphere in the stands was in stark contrast to the grey sky, rain and low temperatures. Apart from the winter weather, the vibes look good for Spain as they set their sights on the June 28 final and the conquest of the Confederations Cup.