Sisters Venus and Serena Williams turned up at Cardiff City’s player Christmas party held in Amsterdam.
They joined in the fun and helped captain Sean Morrison and his Bluebirds squad grow even closer than they have over the first half of this season.
The American champions, of course, weren’t there in person – it was Sol Bamba and Loic Damour in fancy dress, complete with wigs and tennis whites.
“The squad went in fancy dress pairs,” said Bamba. “Our Christmas party is important. We are a tight group anyway, but being together and enjoying ourselves was great fun and brought us all even closer.”
Bamba, from Paris, and fellow Frenchman Damour were a big hit in their Williams sister outfits and won the prize for best outfits.
“I was Venus, Loic was dressed as Serena,” Bamba told BBC Wales. “We were delighted to win the award.”
Venus and Serena, in the guise of Sol and Loic, will play key roles in Cardiff City’s back-to-back Championship matches against Fulham his afternoon (Boxing Day) and Preston North End on Saturday, December 30 (both 3pm).
The Bluebirds are expecting a bumper attendance for the match against Fulham with a predicted crowd of 28,000.
Bamba is from Ivry-sur-Seine, a commune just over three miles from the centre of Paris, and the big man describes the area as ‘a bit like a ghetto, but I don’t like to describe it like that.’
He says: “I’m still friends with the people I grew up with and when I’m in Paris I visit them.”
Former Paris St Germain, Leicester and Leeds defender Bamba has been outstanding for Cardiff City over the last year and is on a Bluebirds mission. Premier Division football is the ultimate aim – and that would be a new experience.
He played for Ivory Coast, the land of his parents, at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, the World Cup finals in Brazil and the Africa Cup of Nations, winning 44 senior caps.
He has played alongside Didier Drogba, Solomon Kalou, Yaya Toure and Kolo Toure for Ivory Coast, while he has had spells playing club football in France, Scotland, England, Turkey, Italy and now Wales.
Bamba, though, has never played in the Premier League and has a burning desire to put that right next season.
City are second in the Championship, occupying one of the two automatic promotion slots, but promotion is never mentioned within the first team group.
“We don’t mention the Premier League at all,” says Bamba. “It’s an old cliche, but we are doing well and have to keep that going.
“The gaffer says we all know what we want to achieve, but there are a lot of games to play and we’ll take things as they come.”
Former England, Ivory Coast and Leicester City manager Sven Goren Eriksson played a major role in Bamba’s playing career, while his relationship with Yorkshireman Neil Warnock could scarcely be closer.
“It’s closer than I’ve been to any other manager. I get some stick from the other lads – they call him my dad,” said Bamba. “He is a father figure. His man management is second to none and he is a character.
“He wants everybody to be together. He has everybody pulling in the right direction. The gaffer is honest, straightforward gives the players confidence through the way he talks to players.
“We have conversations about things that aren’t football related and I love that. We talk for hours about anything and it’s great having those chats.
“If we haven’t talked for a long time the gaffer will tell me we are due one and I agree.
“Sven, too, has been huge for me. He took me to down to England (Leicester City) from Scotland and selected me in the Ivory Coast squad for the 2010 World Cup.
“Sven is also a great man, I have so much respect for the guy and still talk to him if I need advice.
“He is one of best managers i have worked with. Technically, he knows football really well and his man management is extremely good as well. Sven and the gaffer are the best two managers I have worked with.”
Bamba has signed a new three-year contract with Cardiff City and lives in the area with his wife and two children.
He scored on his debut against Bristol City at home just over a year ago and says: “I should have headed it and went with my feet, remember reaction of team-mates and fans.
“That was massive. When you move to a new club it’s important to settle with teammates and fans. That day i did that.”
On match day Bamba has a similar routine each time. He walks the family dog in the morning, watches some pre-recorded football on television, has a nap and then eats his pre-match meal.
“I’m not superstitious, I just prepare for games in the same way,” says Bamba, who enjoys tennis and basketball when he is relaxing.
“I’m not a big rugby fan, but I have seen a couple of matches at the Principality Stadium including Wales v Ireland,” he says. “I had a great time. The atmosphere is completely different to football.
“I would love to attend the Wimbledon tennis championships, but they invariably clash with pre-season. That’s something I will do after I am retired.”
Today, all the focus is on Fulham. Cardiff need three points to maintain momentum, extend their unbeaten home record and show that 2-0 defeat at Bolton was a one-off.