It has been an extraordinary summer for Aymeric Laporte.

The Spaniard won the FIFA World Cup with Spain having started all eight matches for his country and starred in a defence which conceded just one goal in the entire tournament.

Spain went on to beat Argentina in the World Cup Final in July. And, two months on from winning one of biggest sporting competitions in the world, Aymeric joined BWT Alpine Formula One Team as a special guest in Madrid with his gold World Cup winners’ medal to hand.

“It is always a special experience to watch Formula One live so thanks to Alpine for the invitation and hosting me and my wife, Sara,” the 32-year-old said. “I have been to a few races over the last few years with the team and this time it was Sara’s first experience at a race track and we both loved seeing everything up close. “One thing I particularly love is the sound of the engine. We were stood right by the garage exit as Pierre drove out and it’s just such a cool moment,” he added.

Aymeric plays his football with Athletic Bilbao in La Liga. On Saturday he played in their 1-1 draw with Elche before travelling down to Madrid ready for Sunday’s race. The Madring was buzzing with footballers on race day.

Alongside Aymeric, the team welcomed its Alpine Cars ambassador Zinedine Zidane and investor Trent Alexander-Arnold who have enjoyed Formula One experiences with the team in the past.

As 5-a-side teams go, our Sunday visitors would have taken some stopping. Thibaut Courtois, the Real Madrid goalkeeper popped by to greet Flavio Briatore with defenders Sergio Ramos and Trent following suit.

With Aymeric adding further defensive cover, the playmaker, one of the greatest all time, goes to Zidane who also met with Flavio just before the Grand Prix.

“The grid was very cool, very busy, it was like being on a football pitch with so many people I play with and against on there,” said Aymeric. “I saw my mate Marc [Cucurella] who played next to me in the World Cup, which was nice! Most of the Madrid team and Spain were there! “I know the team has Zidane as an ambassador, so it was great to speak with him before the race. All in all, a fantastic experience and hopefully I will come to many more races in the future.