Real Madrid arrives in China

Football fans lined up at the Beijing Capital International Airport in China on Wednesday to catch a glimpse of the Real Madrid footballers visiting the country to start their tour of Asia. Some fans woke up as early as four o'clock in the morning to greet the parade of 'Los Galacticos'. The entourage drove straight to a resort hotel outside the city after landing at 4:40 in the morning.

Real Madrid kicks off its four-day China trip with a match against Beijing Guoan at the Workers' Stadium on July 23, to mark the 20th anniversary of the twinning of the cities of Beijing and Madrid.

A welcoming party greeted the stars as they got off the team coach at the "Grand Epoch City" resort, 50 kilometres outside Beijing. The players had garlands placed around their necks before walking 200 metres through grandiose gardens to reach the hotel check-in.