The most surreal image of Real Madrid’s Champions League night didn’t come from the pitch, but from the press room. After the convincing victory in Almaty, Xabi Alonso was unexpectedly handed… a fish.

It wasn’t a metaphor, nor an inside joke—it was a rubber fish, solemnly presented by a Kazakh YouTuber during the post-match press conference. To the surprise of everyone present, the device could be turned on, playing Cristiano Ronaldo’s iconic “1, 2, 3… Hala Madrid!” presentation audio while the fish moved in sync with the sound.

Xabi accepted the gift with a smile, while Madrid’s press chief Juan Camilo quickly removed it so the conference could continue. The room burst into laughter, including the coach himself, who couldn’t resist chuckling every time the fish repeated its chant.

The explanation? The journalist had heard that Alonso enjoys fishing and thought this would be the perfect tribute. Original, unexpected, and certainly unrepeatable, it turned into one of those unique off-the-pitch stories the Champions League never fails to deliver.

To top it all off, the fish made its way onto Real Madrid’s team bus, so fans might just see it again during a future celebration.

********************************************************

You can now download the Madridista News App for free on the Apple Store and Google Play.

You can follow us on Facebook here.

You can follow us on X (Twitter) here.                                                                    

You can follow us on Instagram here.

You can subscribe to our YouTube channel here.

You can follow us on Telegram here.

You can follow us on TikTok here.

You can join our WhatsApp channel here.