Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe lead sporting stars wishing their fans ‘Merry Christmas’

Stars from across the sporting world wished supporters a Merry Christmas and shared photos from their celebrations with loved ones.

With no major sport scheduled on Christmas Day, the majority of athletes were granted the day off to spend with family.

And Kylian Mbappe led several footballers wishing their followers a happy Christmas.

Kylian Mbappe (left) shared a photo with his younger brother Ethan to celebrate Christmas

Jesse Lingard sported a rather extravagant ginger wig as he posed with his daughter

Tyson Fury posted a photo of his family as they all wore matching pyjamas and posed

The PSG forward and World Cup Golden Boot winner posted a photo of himself with his younger brother Ethan Mbappe, who has been receiving rave views after highlights of him in action for PSG’s youth team went viral.

Former Liverpool star Luis Suarez shared a snap with his family with the caption: ‘Muy feliz Navidad para todos!’, which translates to ‘a very Merry Christmas to all!’

Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus also posted a photo of him with his family, as many of them wore matching pyjamas and he said: ‘Feliz Natal a todos,’ meaning ‘Merry Christmas everyone.’

Luis Suarez was one of several other footballing stars to share Christmas posts with family

Arsenal star forward Gabriel Jesus also shared a snap as he also wore matching pyjamas

Real Madrid and World Cup stars Vinicius Jr. and Luka Modric also shared festive-looking snaps with their families, with Modric enjoying some time off in the Maldives following his exploits at the World Cup.

World Cup winner Lionel Messi’s wife shared a photo of the Messi family and wished everyone ‘Merry Christmas’ as they posed by their Christmas tree back home in Argentina.

Jesse Lingard also shared a snap of him sporting a rather extravagant ginger wig, with his daughter sitting on his lap, as the Nottingham Forest star shared a series of photos of them together.

Real Madrid stars Vinicius Jr. and Luka Modric shared festive snaps with Modric spending Christmas in the Maldives after his World Cup exploits

Meanwhile, Zlatan Ibrahimovic was celebrating Christmas by appearing to partake in some boxing, with the Swedish striker – known for being outspoken – mischievously posting: ‘Merry ChristmaZ to you and your wives! Ciao.’ 

Outside of football, boxing heavyweight Tyson Fury posted on Twitter with a shot of his family who were all wearing matching pyjamas and said: ‘Merry Xmas from The Furys!’ 

Fury’s pyjamas said ‘Daddy Fury’ on them – perhaps they were new for this year! 

Lionel Messi’s family posed around the Christmas tree in his native Argentina in a photo shared by his wife

Legendary Swede Zlatan Ibrahimovic posted a pic of himself celebrating Christmas in the gym