Israeli President Shimon Peres, who was on an official visit to Spain this week to mark 25 years of diplomatic relations between Spain and Israel, enjoyed Thursday a friendly encounter with Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo and the rest of the team.
The 87-year-old president was greeted by the club’s president Florentino Perez and coach Jose Mourinho when he arrived at Real's training grounds at Valdebebas, outside Madrid.
Goalkeeper Iker Casillas gave him a black and white jersey bearing the Israeli leader's name and a large number one.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, I admire you a great deal," Peres told Casillas as he shook his hand.
He hailed Real Madrid as a "symbol of peace"."I want you to know the depth of the love of all our boys and girls for Real Madrid. You are their heroes. They would like to be like you," he added.
"They can make a distinction between playing football and playing war. They have not had much peace, for them Real Madrid is a symbol of peace.
"Football doesn’t distinguish between black and white. It is the speed of your legs, not the colour of your legs that makes a difference," he added.
Last year, the Peres Centre For Peace organized a match between Real Madrid and an Israeli-Palestian team at the Ramat Gan stadium near Tel Aviv.