Real Madrid Enjoy Fancy Dinner Without Gareth Bale to Celebrate Third Consecutive Win

(Front row, left to right): Casemiro, Karim Benzema, Brahim Diaz, Raphael Varane, Jesus Vallejo, Dani Ceballos, Alvaro Odriozola. (Back row, left to right): Vinicius Junior, Fede Valverde, Luca Zidane, Mariano, Thibaut Courtois, Luka Modric, Sergio Regulion, Marcos Llorente, Marco Asensio, Lucas Vazquez, Dani Carvajal, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo, Isco, Nacho

(Front row, left to right): Casemiro, Karim Benzema, Brahim Diaz, Raphael Varane, Jesus Vallejo, Dani Ceballos, Alvaro Odriozola. (Back row, left to right): Vinicius Junior, Fede Valverde, Luca Zidane, Mariano, Thibaut Courtois, Luka Modric, Sergio Regulion, Marcos Llorente, Marco Asensio, Lucas Vazquez, Dani Carvajal, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo, Isco, Nacho

Real Madrid’s stars toasted their upturn in form on Monday night as they went out for a group dinner in the city centre after winning a third game in succession.

Sergio Ramos, Luka Modric and new signing Brahim Diaz were among those pictured enjoying a meal at top restaurant BiBo, just 24 hours after earning a 4-2 victory at Espanyol to keep their faint title hopes alive.

Santiago Solari’s men remain 10 points behind leaders Barcelona, but had plenty to celebrate after putting their poor start to 2019 well and truly behind them.

Having failed to win either of their first two games after the winter break, Real have now come out on top in five of their last six matches to rise to third in La Liga and progress in the Copa del Rey.

And ahead of a huge run of fixtures – which includes a two-legged Champions League tie with Ajax – the vast majority of Madrid’s players headed out for a bonding meal.

Only Gareth Bale, Toni Kroos and Keylor Navas were absent on Monday night as Solari’s squad looked to build on the good atmosphere they have formed in recent weeks.

The squad used the informal dinner to look ahead to the challenges they face in the coming weeks, particularly the trip to Amsterdam on February 13. 

Captain Ramos sat at the head of the table, with he and the rest of the squad convinced they can still salvage their season despite the awful start which saw Julen Lopetegui sacked in late October. 

Spanish newspaper Marca claim that this was the first meeting of this king in a ‘long time’ for Real’s players, who have failed to reach the high standards they set under previous boss Zinedine Zidane.

Bale and Kroos have been known to miss these sort of social events in the past, but both are expected to be involved when Solari takes his squad to Girona for the second leg of their Copa del Rey tie on Thursday.