Racing-mad Real Madrid star shows up in Tipperary for 5-a-side match

Odriozola has La Liga, Bundesliga and Champions League titles to his name.

Alvaro Odriozola (left) poses at Fethard Town Park.

Fethard is not known as a major soccer stronghold in Munster, not to mind Ireland or the rest of the world, nor is it a place millionaire footballers tend to spend their summers.

But, for a couple of hours on Tuesday night, locals got to kick around and get stuck into a La Liga, Bundesliga and Champions League winner. 

Real Madrid defender Álvaro Odriozola showed up to a game of 5-a-side on Tuesday night, leaving locals shocked and bemused, to say the least!

The Spaniard - who spent last season on loan with Fiorentina from parent-club Madrid, having previously won domestic and European titles with 'Los Blancos', and a Bundesliga title while on loan at Bayern Munich - posed for pictures and signed autographs for some very excited children. 

It turns out that Odriozola's appearance was organised by trainer Joseph O'Brien, who trains horses for the racing-mad footballer. 

Tommy Sheehan, Site Manager at Fethard Town Park, told the Irish Examiner that the along with local kids and Fethard GAA, O'Brien and several jockeys from the surrounding areas had entered teams in the soccer tournament. 

"The tournament has been great fun and there's been a great atmosphere. 

"Then on Tuesday night, Joseph O'Brien brought Odriozola along, and he rocked up in his Fiorentina gear!

"He played ten minutes with the young kids and then played ten minutes with Joseph's team, before staying back after to take pictures and sign autographs for the youngsters.

"To have a player like him over here is absolutely brilliant," added Sheehan.

Horse trainer O'Brien said that the Spaniard was spending some time over with his horses when the opportunity arose to pop down to Fethard. 

"I have a couple of horses belonging to Alvaro and he tries to get over when he can. He came over for a couple of days and we said we'd bring him to the tournament for a bit of fun.

"In fairness to him, he was happy to have pictures with the kids and it was lovely for the locality."

Not an evening the people of Fethard are going to forget in a hurry one would imagine!