Now THAT'S a Real reception: Thousands of Madrid fans pack the streets outside the Bernabéu to welcome Ronaldo and co ahead of their crunch Champions League semi-final with Manchester City

Passion: A sea of Real Madrid fans flooded the streets outside the club's city centre stadium this evening to give their heroes a raucous welcome ahead of their crunch Champions League tie with Manchester City 

Belief: Tens of thousands of supporters a hundred deep in parts formed a guard of honour for their beloved club's arrival at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium earlier tonight

Ocean: The Real Madrid fans - better known as Madridistas - filled the streets to make sure their heroes know how much tonight's fixture means to them

Spine-tingling: Many fans held flags and scarves in the air, while others lit up the welcome party with flares and smoke bombs

Colour: With many dressed in the Spanish giant's famous white, the colossal crowd went berserk for the squad as their coach approached the ground

Noise: The fans bellowed their heroes into the stadium before following them inside for the biggest match of their season so far

Must win: After drawing 0-0 in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final at the Etihad Stadium last week, Real - currently third in the Spanish league - will be going all out to see off big spending Manchester City in the hope of reaching the final of this year's elite European competition

Escort: The all-white bus was accompanied by police on horseback on hand to ensure no fans got in the way of the coach and its cargo