Real Madrid Boss Zinedine Zidane Made Players Run Up & Down Stairs of the Bernabeu on New Year's Eve

There was no excessive partying in the Real Madrid camp on New Year's Eve. 

Coach Zinedine Zidane, according to  Marca, forced his players to run up and down the steep stairs of the Bernabeu after their training session had concluded.

It was not an enviable task even for the most athletic members of the squad: with 81,000 seats, Real Madrid's stadium is one of Europe's biggest.

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Zidane and fitness coach Antonio Pintus reportedly stood in attendance as the players undertook the gruelling task.

They ran from the front row to the top of the lower tier, which left them 40 metres from the pitch.

And there were strict rules to abide by as part of the exercise: players were not permitted to skip a single step and were not allowed a break when they reached the top.

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The drill was part of a mid-season fitness regime introduced by Zidane to get his team back up to the required level before their return from the Christmas break.

It could be that such work is neccessary to give Los Blancos an extra edge given their current standings in La Liga. Real Madrid sit 14 points behind Barcelona after last month's Clasico defeat, although Zidane has insisted that his squad does not need to be improved.

"As we all know, until Jan. 31, someone can come in - this is the market - but I do not want anyone as I am happy with my squad," he said. 

"I remember last year there were no problems like this, as Madrid was doing well, playing well, but when a team is going a bit bad, as can happen sometimes, there is talk of transfers - but I am not that type of coach."