Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, David Beckham, Steven Gerrard and football stars around the world get into the Christmas spirit

Footballers past and present have been celebrating Christmas
Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo was out and about with friends
Barcelona’s Neymar poses with Santa Claus in an Instagram snap
Ex-Liverpool star Steven Gerrard was busy delivering presents
David Beckham and his family were pictured with a snowy backdrop

Published:
11:36 GMT, 25 December 2015

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Updated:
15:13 GMT, 25 December 2015

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Football stars past and present have been celebrating Christmas, sharing pictures of delicious food, bulging bags of presents and stylish decorations on social media.

Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo was out and about with friends on Christmas Eve, posting a picture alongside two blondes wearing reindeer antlers.

Barcelona star Neymar posted a snap on Instagram sat on the knee of a slightly dubious-looking Santa Claus as he soaks up the sun back home in Brazil.

Cristiano Ronaldo posted an Instagram picture during a night out with friends, including girls in reindeer antlers

Neymar, back home in Brazil, posted this picture with a man wearing a Santa Claus costume

The Beckham family posed for a Christmas picture in a snowy winter wonderland

Beckham did get the chance to warm up in front of a roaring fire however

Andrea Pirlo exudes his usual effortless style in front of a lavishly-decorated Christmas tree

Chelsea star Cesc Fabregas was pictured enjoying a Christmas dinner with his family

Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero posed with his son in front of the Christmas tree

Liverpool’s Philippe Coutinho also took to Instagram with this picture of his wife and baby

Rio Ferdinand spread some festive cheer by dressing up as Santa Claus and delivering presents

Former Liverpool and England captain Steven Gerrard is back in Merseyside for Christmas

Barcelona forward Luis Suarez was pictured with his wife Sofia Balbi as they celebrates Christmas together

But there were chillier climes for the Beckham family as Victoria posted a picture on social media with husband David and his four children against a snowy backdrop.

The former England captain did warm up though in front of a roaring fire later on.

Cesc Fabregas was also at home with family enjoying a Christmas dinner, while Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero and Liverpool playmaker Philippe Coutinho were also spending time with loved ones.

Rio Ferdinand surprised his children by dressing up as Santa Claus, while another former England favourite, Steven Gerrard, who is back in Liverpool for the festive season, was pictured carrying bags of gifts.

Other stars who uploaded pictures of their celebrations on their official Instagram accounts included Bayern Munich forward Robert Lewandowski, Barcelona’s Ivan Rakitic and former Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez, who is now at Bayer Leverkusen and enjoying some down time over the holidays.

Indeed, the Premier League is one of the few competitions in Europe which does not have a designated winter-break, though that didn’t stop Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and his Arsenal team-mates from taking part in a karaoke session.

Tottenham and England striker Harry Kane marks Christmas with his girlfriend and a festive jumper

Liverpool and England striker Daniel Sturridge made himself a ‘Caribbean breakfast’ on Christmas Day

Manchester United striker Anthony Martial and his girlfriend posted a compilation of festive snaps

Andy Carroll poses in red shoes with partner Billi Mucklow and baby son Arlo

Manchester United defender Chris Smalling was sporting a reindeer jumper

Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski celebrates Christmas in style with a dapper suit

Adebayo Akinfenwa was also dressed up in a Santa suit as he posed for a festive snap with his kids

Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo sends his Instagram followers a cheerful message over the holidays

Los Blancos defender Pepe and his family pose for a photo in front of their Christmas tree

Manchester United’s Spanish midfielder Juan Mata posed in front of his Christmas tree

United’s Marcos Rojo apparently received a new hat and some garish yellow shoes for Christmas

Chelsea’s Brazilian star Willian celebrates Christmas at home with his family

Barcelona’s Ivan Rakitic posted this photograph of Christmas lunch with his family

Poland international Lewandowski, who has scored 23 goals in 24 appearances in all competitions for Bayern this season, was looking sharp in a suit as he posed alongside his Christmas tree.

Ballon d’Or nominee Ronaldo, meanwhile, went for something more modest – a simple message of goodwill to his fans, ‘Happy Christmas fans, love you,’ as he shared a snap of himself lying smiling on his couch.

Rakitic and Hernandez took the chance to spend some quality time with their partners – Raquel Mauri and Lucia Villalon.

Hernandez, who was deemed surplus to requirements at Manchester United by manager Louis van Gaal during the summer and sold to Leverkusen for a cut-price £8million fee, has been in prolific form since arriving in Germany. The Mexican forward has netted 19 goals in 22 games so far.

Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, now on loan at Roma, was with his girlfriend Marina Luczenko and they shared a cuddle in front of a very impressive festive fir, lit up with flashing neon lights.

Boxer David Haye sizes up an inflatable Santa in the gym with the caption ‘he’s slightly behind schedule’

Joe Root, out in South Africa with the England cricket team, poses in a Christmas hat

Former Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez pulls a face with partner Lucia Villalon

Barcelona forward Ivan Rakitic spends some quality time with his wife Raquel Mauri over Christmas

Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, on loan at Roma, cuddles his girlfriend Marina Luczenko

Real Madrid star James Rodriguez and wife Daniela scrub up nicely to strike a festive pose

Barca right back Dani Alves and girlfriend Joana Sanz are making the most of La Liga’s winter break

Neymar has been in stunning form for Barca this season and has been nominated for the Ballon d’Or

Former Everton midfielder Tim Cahill still loves the club and decorated his tree with mini Toffees kits

Former Everton favourite Tim Cahill showed that he still retains a great sense of affection for the Toffees by decorating his tree with miniature replica kits.

The 36-year-old left Goodison Park in 2012 and via a brief spell with New York Red Bulls, is now playing out the twilight of his career in China at Shanghai Shenhua.

Ex-Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard left his boyhood side last summer to join LA Galaxy, but is back on Merseyside over Christmas.

He has recently been training with Liverpool’s first-team at their Melwood base in order to maintain his fitness.

As for current Premier League players, some of the Arsenal squad grouped together for an ensemble karaoke performance.

The Gunners are second in the table going into their Boxing Day clash away at Southampton with 36 points, two behind the pace set by leaders Leicester.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (centre, left) and his Arsenal team-mates enjoy a group karaoke session

Defender Calum Chambers (left) and Oxlade-Chamberlain show off their musical skills with a duet

Former Gunners striker Dennis Bergkamp spreads the festive cheer with his family

Elsewhere, Manchester United’s Jesse Lingard got back to his roots with a trip to Kent and, where the Warrington-born youngster handed out presents to residents of the Heathfield Care Home.

His team-mates Juan Mata and Memphis Depay were all smiles in front of their trees, seeming to put United’s troubles on the pitch to the back of their minds.