Real Madrid bus crashes on M40 motorway after Liverpool defeat

Real Madrid's team bus was apparently caught up in a motorway accident less than 24 hours after the Champions League defeat to Liverpool at Anfield.

Footage from a video clip shared on social media appears to show damage to the front bumper of the La Liga champions' luxury vehicle, with which they traveled to the stadium on Wednesday evening.

The coach can be seen parked behind a truck on the side of the M40 motorway, one of the UK's main roads which connects London with Oxford and Birmingham.

It is not yet known if any players or staff were on board or if there were any injuries in the collision.

The incident happened the day after Liverpool celebrated a 2-0 victory in front of their fans against Los Blancos following second-half goals from Alexis Mac Allister and Cody Gakpo.

It was a miserable trip to England for reigning European champions Madrid as Kylian Mbappe saw his penalty saved by Caoimhin Kelleher in the second half.

They should have flown home to Spain shortly after their Champions League match, as Carlo Ancelotti's side look ahead to their domestic match against Getafe on Sunday December 1.

However, their team's coach will still have to be transported back to the Spanish capital by road.

Bizarrely, this is the second time this year that a Real Madrid team bus has been involved in a road accident while traveling to or returning from a Champions League match.

Last February, Madrid were on their way to face RB Leipzig in the Champions League when a frightening collision occurred between the vehicle and a white Toyota on the A4 between Eichelborn and Hora in Germany.

The damage was minimal and the team was able to continue their journey. But the damage caused to the driver of the Toyota was significant as the bill cost him around £2,500.

Madrid only unveiled its new state-of-the-art bus in October 2024, synonymous with transporting players to and from matches, even for home matches.

After spending almost £1.5 billion renovating their Santiago Bernabeu home, the Spanish club chose to decorate their coach in a similar high-tech style.

The bus is also covered in images of the trophies they have won, including 36 La Liga titles, 20 Copa del Reys trophies and 15 European Cups.

Real Madrid have yet to publicly address the incident.