Blackpool midfielder Andrea Orlandi has revealed that he nearly bought a ticket for the Germanwings flight that crashed into the French Alps, killing 150 passengers.
Orlandi was due to return to England following a trip to Spain and considered the Germanwings flight before deciding to travel directly to London from Barcelona.
"I flew down to Barcelona on Sunday to sign the purchase of my apartment and I was planning to fly back on Monday morning," Orlandi wrote on his blog.
"Due to a timetable misunderstanding I missed the flight back and I had to rush to buy a new ticket to fly that same night or the day after. The option to fly to Manchester via Dusseldorf came up, the same flight that crashed.
"On Tuesday I was late for the training session. I had to pay a fine but at least I got there. Others couldn't. May they rest in peace."
The Spanish midfielder joined Blackpool last summer, following spells at Brighton & Hove Albion and Swansea City.