Fifa 19: Real Madrid fans furious after club signs virtual player Alex Hunter

Club is selling jerseys with Hunter's name on them and recruited real players to welcome virtual teammate

Real Madrid has signed Alex Hunter – a fictional player from Fifa 19.

But the announcement has upset fans, who want the team to sign a real player rather than an entirely virtual one.

Hunter's signing has been announced because in the newest update to the game, out next month, he joins the club as part of the Journey mode. That has been in the game since Fifa 17, and has seen the player progress from childhood matches in the park to joining the footballing elite.

Real Madrid announced the signing in a video that was edited as if it was made to commemorate a real signing. It also included genuine Real Madrid players welcoming their new teammate.

Hunter has now been added to the squad on the club's website and fans can buy real jerseys including his name and number, 29. Fans can pay £130 for an official shirt with the player's name on its back, and on the menu to choose which shirt to buy Hunter appears first.

The signing was also announced in a press release from EA Sports that was written as if it was a real statement. It even included a quotation from Hunter in which he reacted to joining his new club.

“It's everything I’ve ever wanted, simple as that,” said Hunter in the statement. “To join Real Madrid, the biggest club in the world, is what every kid like me dreams about. And on top of it all, I’m just buzzing to finally get my chance to play in the biggest club competition in the world, the UEFA Champions League.”

But fans have primarily reacted with outrage about the tie-up, which has been present across Real Madrid's social media channels.

The anger comes in part because Real Madrid sold Cristiano Ronaldo and is yet to replace him with a similarly star striker in real life. As with recent years, Ronaldo is the cover star – and early art for the game showed him wearing a Real Madrid shirt, which will be changed before Fifa 19 is actually released.