Real Madrid stars spend more than 12 hours filming at Valdebebas

Real Madrid turned their Valdebebas training complex into a vast film set on Wednesday, with the club’s entire squad taking part in a marathon day of commercial shoots lasting from the early morning until after 20:00.

“Dozens of cameras. Filming locations spread throughout the training complex, players moving between the sets, and Jose Mourinho suddenly appearing to check on his players,” reported Spanish newspaper Marca.

“For one day, Valdebebas no longer resembled a training complex, but a huge film set.”

Real Madrid used one of the few less demanding periods in their schedule to bring together almost all of the brands associated with the team and complete a large proportion of their advertising commitments for the season in a single day.

The club’s list of sponsors appeared close to endless, with each company allocated a slot at Valdebebas from the early hours of the morning. Some production teams began setting up their equipment before 09:00, aware that a busy day lay ahead.

Despite the scale of the operation, the club did not alter the first-team’s normal routine. Mourinho decided on Tuesday to move training back to 17:00, giving the players the whole morning and much of the afternoon to take part in the various shoots.

The logistics were organised in considerable detail. Players appeared in front of the cameras at different times according to their individual schedules. Some filmed after a gym session, others after visiting the physiotherapist or completing recovery work, while some took part before joining the rest of the squad.

Every player was involved in the extensive photography and filming session, which temporarily brought normal activity at Valdebebas to a halt. However, the mood was far from serious.

There was plenty of laughter and joking throughout the day. Some players even wandered on to sets being used by other brands to tease their team-mates.

Mourinho nevertheless wanted to keep a close eye on proceedings. The Portuguese coach visited the different filming locations twice to check on the players and monitor how the day was progressing.

The schedule also produced a minor issue involving individual sponsorship agreements. Jude Bellingham, one of the team’s biggest stars, was briefly involved in a disagreement over whether his existing commitments were compatible with those of some of the other brands taking part.

The matter was resolved quickly and had no further consequences. The England midfielder ultimately fulfilled his obligation.

The sheer size of the operation became clearer as the day went on. The first cameras began recording early in the morning, while the final shoots continued into the evening, as darkness fell over Valdebebas. The last player completed his commitments after 20:00, bringing the event to an end more than 12 hours after filming began.

It was an unusual use of a quieter period in Real Madrid’s calendar. The club play only on Friday, against Real Betis, and took the opportunity to gather their players and sponsors together, briefly transforming their training base into one of Madrid’s largest film sets.

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