Madrid Bonus Is For Seven Wins, Not Five!

Real Madrid will pay their players bonus money for appearing in a game over the festive break rather than give them a bonus prize as has been reported in the Spanish media.

Los Merengues were said to be ready to divide €2.5 million between the squad if they won their next five games, including the encounter with Recreativo at the weekend, but that has been refuted.

Instead of the hand-out being for nothing, Madrid have explained that the team is to take part in a friendly in the Middle East during the Christmas and New Year break and they were offered a bonus for that.

But rather than take it for winning five matches, Bernd Schuster's squad are reported to have told the club's board that they will accept the money for winning their next seven matches.

"The management thanks the players for this gesture which shows their commitment to the interests and the aims of the club," a club statement read.

That would lift the gloom surrounding the Bernabéu and see the team progress in the league and Europe because they face some difficult games on all fronts.

In la Primera, Madrid face Getafe, Sevilla, Barcelona and Valencia before Christmas and after playing BATE Borisov this week, they still have to meet Zenit in the Champions League.

The story that president Ramón Calderón had decided to offer the sum, which would have been around €120,000-per-player, over lunch on Friday appears to have been twisted by the media.