COPA LIBERTADORES | RIVER-BOCA
Football's biggest stars at the Bernabéu: Messi, Piqué, Simeone...
Various of the game's top players and coaches were invited to watch the final at the Bernabéu. Cristiano Ronaldo turned down the invitation to watch the game.
In the stands at the Santiago Bernabéu this evening to watch the return leg of the Copa Libertadores are some of the biggest names in the game. Leo Messi, who was personally invited by the RFEF to watch the game from the President's box along with 12 other guests, has a special interest in this game. Noticeable by his absence was Cristiano Ronaldo, who declined an invitation to attend the match.
Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez, who had been attending the team's LaLiga game at Huesca, left at half-time to make it back to the capital in time. Sergio Ramos has a seat reserved but it's not known whether he arrived for kick-off. Not so lucky was Thibaut Courtois, who was hoping to get to the game but had to undergo an anti-doping control in Huesca, delaying his return.
Follow the 2018 Copa Libertadores final return leg LIVE:
Various other big names are watching the game in Madrid, including: Gianni Infantino, Alejandro Domínguez, Ceferin, James Rodríguez, Gerard Piqué, Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets, Arturo Vidal, Diego Godín, Antoine Griezmann, Filipe Luis, Giménez, Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini, Ángel Correa, Thomas Lemar, Lionel Scaloni, Marcos Rojo, Diego Simeone, Michel Salgado, Tapia, Lanzini, Ocampos, Bentancur, Nico Gaitán, Mauricio Pellegrino, Torreira, Dybala, Hugo Gatti, Escalante, Demichelis, Cavenaghi, Funes Mori, Lanzini, Zanetti, Ramón Díaz, Icardi...
The majority of them are seated in various parts of the ground while some opted for private suites. It's a game which no one wanted to miss and to watch the action live, in Madrid, is an experience that couldn't be passed up.