Halloween means costumes and candy, but it’s also a good excuse for a prank. Now imagine players arrived at Valdebebas for what they thought would be a normal day of training and found things a little off.
Real Madrid is a team that's usually focused, serious and detail-oriented. A well-planned prank would catch them off guard and throw them completely off their game for at least a minute.
Here are five harmless and completely safe pranks that a playful media team (or the club’s PR department) could play on the Real Madrid squad this Halloween.
The “Barça kit swap"
For any Real Madrid player (or fan), few things would be more unsettling than walking into the locker room and finding FC Barcelona jerseys neatly folded where their own jerseys should be.
Maybe the wall also says “Més que un club” in place of the club’s values, just to make it starker. It’s not a loud prank but this hits at the instinct. There is such a deep-rooted rivalry.
Even players who didn’t grow up in Spain would flinch at the initial discomfort of seeing Barça-branded shirts in their cabinets of clothes. And the prank is less funny than it is disorienting.
“Xabi Alonso sacked last night”
Now imagine the team arriving when the training-ground TV was on and a breaking-news notification crosses the bottom of the screen for all to see: “Real Madrid and Xabi Alonso part ways.”
No context, no announcement, just the breaking news. That moment of silence turns into confusion and murmur and players start to pull out their phones and the group chat chimes in five to ten minutes later. And we'll add to that, no Xabi Alonso in sight for a few long minutes.
For a moment or two, the feeling of loss would be real. This one is borderline cruel, I admit.
The “Behind-the-door scare”
This one’s old school but successful if done right. Someone hides just behind the dressing-room door, in a full, scary disguise, mask, dark hoodie, maybe even fake blood for effect. The trick is to stay completely still until the first player walks in.
The moment they do, the person steps out fast but silent, no shout, no laugh, just that split second of presence before anyone processes what’s happening.
The reaction would probably entail a few curses before everyone bursts out laughing.
It’s simple, but in a calm, controlled place like the daily training ground, that quick prank would be funny. This one would be perfect for social media and for fans to watch.
The “Haunted shower”
Players have zero alone time, until their shower time. So it’s a perfect opportunity for a scare. I would look this: a player has just got in the shower, turned on the water, and it’s a dim red color flowing down the drain, and lights are switching on and off.
Then there’s a wet handprint on the wall and a loud bang from a hidden speaker. Some colored water, a decal, and a little timing, to create a moment of fright for anyone.
They may not admit it themselves, but it would be unsettling for longer than they’d want to admit.
The “No pay this month”
Notice no fake blood and no jump men in mad horror for this one, just a simple memo displayed on the noticeboard: “Due to recalculating, this month’s salaries will not go out.” Which might be even scarier for some.
There would be no laughter at first, and the room would go quiet. Maybe Carvajal sweeps through a mental list of contract numbers, or Bellingham just stares at the page and tries to compute. All it takes is a few seconds of blankness to unsettle something you consider absolute: being paid on time.