It’s just before 7 p.m. and Real Madrid have arrived. After taking off at 4 p.m. from Madrid, the players and management of Real landed this Thursday at the end of the afternoon, on French soil, in the north of the capital. They will now have the time to calmly prepare for their Champions League final against Liverpool on Saturday (9 p.m.) at the Stade de France.
Carlo Ancelotti and his players have taken up residence at the Auberge du Jeu de Paume, a luxurious five-star hotel located on a vast estate of nearly 8,000 hectares, very close to the Château de Chantilly, about forty minutes from the Stade de France .
Enough to forget for a few days the disappointment of the non-arrival of Kylian Mbappé… The estate and its 92 rooms have been fully reserved until Saturday, match day, and you will have to show your credentials to approach it. Florentino Perez, the president, will stay with the team until the final.
Karim Benzema, Luka Modric, Thibaut Courtois, and the other stars of the White House should all be operational for the final, the Madrid coach having brought his full squad (26 players). The press conferences of Carlo Ancelotti and a player will take place this Friday at 6.45 p.m. before a final training session at the Stade de France at 7.30 p.m.
For the supporters of the two camps (including 60,000 English fans of the Reds who do not all have tickets) who will go to the side of the capital, it is however a little more complicated. The prices of hotel rooms thus soared for the occasion, with for example more than 1,000 euros for a standard room in a four-star hotel in the 15th arrondissement, which usually costs 350, or 300 euros per night for hotels located near the Gare du Nord.
The situation will be just as difficult in public transport, with several strikes announced by the RATP.