Madrid, Wednesday

Real Madrid’s players were handed an early Christmas present by sponsors Audi as every member of the first team squad drove away with a new set of wheels.

The German car manufacturer put smiles on the faces of Zinedine Zidane and his players as the Spanish giants all got to choose which model they wanted to receive and in what colour.

Club captain Sergio Ramos opted for the most expensive drive, selecting the Sh 11.4 million (£86,000) Lunar Blue Audi A8 50 TDI Quattro Tiptronic.

Players were presented with their selected cars and signed number plates on Monday as part of their annual ceremony at this time of year.

Zidane showed his humility and opted for a RS 3 Sportback TFSI quattro S tronic in Mythos black, the cheapest model available from the squad list coming in at £65,000.

Most popular

Karim Benzema and Thibaut Courtois also joined their boss in opting for the cheapest model, albeit with different preferences on colour.

Karim Benzema was one of three squad members to select the cheapest car available to him. The Q7 50 TDI was far and away the most popular car chosen by the squad with Audi parting with 11 as part of their giveaway to the squad.

Brahim Diaz, Luka Jovic, Mariano, Luka Modric, Rodrygo, Casemiro, Ferland Mendy, Gareth Bale, Isco, Alphonse Areola and Eder Militao all went for that model as their car of choice. 

While silver and grey proved popular colour choices, Raphael Varane wanted to stand out from the crowd as he selected a bright cherry red E-Tron 55 four, which would have set him back £71,000 had he purchased it. 

A video of the players receiving their new car was shared on the club’s social media channels. 

Personalised models

The squad, along with Zidane, posed for photos in front of their personalised models and then got to sit behind in the driver’s seat to get a feel for it.  

Real Madrid will hope the new set of wheels can guide the club into the right direction as they look for a strong finish to the season as they compete for the La Liga title and Champions League.

Zidane’s side will take on Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in the Champions League last-16, while they travel to face title rivals Barcelona in El Clasico this week having seen the initial fixture postponed. 

Madrid are second, behind leaders Barcelona on goal difference, and Wednesday night’s match will provide a major psychological boost to whoever comes out on top. -Dailymail