Real Madrid Players Complete 4-3 Comeback, Then Walk Home to Madrid to Save Bus Fare
After a dramatic 4-3 win over Roma, the Real Madrid squad opted to walk the 1,700 kilometers back to Spain, citing a new club policy of extreme fiscal responsibility.
ROME — Following a 4-3 comeback victory over Roma at the Stadio Olimpico, the entire Real Madrid squad began walking back to the Spanish capital on Wednesday night, a journey of roughly 1,700 kilometers, after club accountants determined that the team bus had exceeded its monthly fuel allowance by 0.3 liters.
The decision, announced over the stadium loudspeakers at the final whistle, was met with applause from the travelling Madrid supporters, who formed a human corridor from the away section to the Appian Way. Manager José Mourinho, walking at the front in a full three-piece suit, told reporters that the measure was «a necessary step toward financial sustainability and cardiovascular fitness.»
By midnight, the squad had crossed into the outskirts of Rome, where Kylian Mbappé was seen jogging in place at a red light while Vinícius Júnior consulted a paper map. The club has instructed players to maintain a steady pace of six kilometers per hour and to sleep in shifts on the shoulder of the A1 motorway. A support vehicle carrying water and tactical boards follows at a distance of exactly one kilometer, as required by the new austerity protocol.
Local authorities in both Italy and France have been notified, and toll booth operators along the route have been instructed to wave the team through without charge, provided they submit to a brief autograph session. Real Madrid’s next fixture is scheduled for Saturday, and club officials confirmed that the team will arrive on foot or forfeit the match.
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