Real Madrid players draw inspiration from Rafael Nadal prior to match against PSG

What's the story?

As Cristiano Ronaldo netted the ball through a penalty to trigger wild celebrations amongst the Real Madrid fans, social media was on fire as football fans from all the world were discussing the humongous drop down that all cameras zoomed in on - A 'Vamos, Real' poster, albeit, it had Rafael Nadal's picture on the front as a tribute to the Spaniard.

While the drop-down attracted a lot of eyeballs, the irony of the picture was the highlight. Of the 16 Grand Slams that Nadal has clinched, 10 of them are French Open wins and on the day, Real Madrid was playing Paris-Saint Germain, a French side in one of the biggest clashes of the year.

In case you didn't know

As part of the Round of 16 stage of the Champions League, Real Madrid and Paris-Saint Germain squared off at the Santiago Bernabeu with the cynosure of all eyes spiraling down to the most-awaited clash between Christiano Ronaldo and Neymar Jr.

Heart of the Matter

The poster at the stadium

When the teams walked out to the center for the customary national anthems and handshakes, cameramen were having their share of fun as the cameras zoomed into the massive banner at the stadium.

Taking up almost three tiers of space in the stand, the banner titled 'Vamos Real' was decorated with a graphic of Nadal's usual fist-pump celebration accompanied by fan groups of the Real Madrid celebrating in the background who believe that Nadal is the embodiment of 'Madridism'.

While most fans seemed puzzled at Nadal's presence on the poster, others understood the cheek-in the tongue implication and were thrilled at the creativity.

Considering the fact that Real Madrid was taking on one of the strongest teams from the league, Paris Saint-Germain, the fans used Nadal's image to thrust some confidence into the Madrid players, insisting that they too could dominate over PSG, the way the Spaniard has done over time in the French Open.

In the end, the ideology seemed to work as Ronaldo's brace and Marcelo's goal saw Real Madrid record a crushing 3-1 over their French rivals.

What's Next?

Following a morale-boosting win against PSG, Real Madrid will hope for more magic from Christiano Ronaldo when they face off against Real Betis for the next clash in the La Liga.

Author's Take

Enjoying one of the biggest fan bases in the world of football, the drop-down was only an example of some of the best motivational ideas adopted by fan bases across the world.