The Clásico between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, which was held at the Spotify Camp Nou, featured a prominent presence of legendary Barça figures. Among those invited to the box were Ronald Koeman, Frank Rijkaard and Jordi Cruyff, three names that have left an indelible mark on Barça history. The list of attendees also included political authorities, sports leaders, businessmen and international personalities from sports, music and culture.
The Real Madrid delegation was represented by José Martínez “Pirri”, who led the visit in the absence of president Florentino Pérez. Pirri, honorary president of the club, acted as spokesperson for the Madrid entity, while the president of Barça himself, Joan Laporta, was the official host of the event. Among the former players who shared the box with the three idols were Jesús Mariano Angoy and Gheorghe Popescu, as well as the club's former president, Joan Gaspart, and Juan Manuel Asensi, president of the Barça Players Association.
The technical team and the administration of Barça were also present. Deco, director of football, Bojan Krkic, coordinator of the football area, and Enric Masip, member of the Football Commission, accompanied the guests. José Ramón Alexanco, director of youth football, and Aleksander Sekulic, coach of the basketball team, completed the institutional team. The political presence was extensive: Jordi Hereu, Minister of Industry; Ernest Urtasun, Minister of Culture; Josep Rull, president of the Parliament of Catalonia; Jaume Collboni, mayor of Barcelona; and Berni Álvarez, Minister of Sports, among others.
Among the most relevant international guests were Brice Clotaire Oligui, President of the Republic of Gabon, as well as Alexis Tsipras, former Prime Minister of Greece, and Encho Angelov Keryazov, Minister of Youth and Sports of Bulgaria. Dkham Ilkhamovich Ikramov, Minister of Sports of Uzbekistan, was also present. Music and culture were not left behind: rapper Tyler, The Creator, who starred in the special Classic t-shirt, and rapper 21 Savage, along with actor Carles Cuevas and artist El Mago Pop, were part of the audience.
The business sector was also reflected in the guest list. Marc Murtra, president of Telefónica; Justin Hotard, president of Nokia; Albert Baronet, Marketing Director of Nike in Europe; and Ramon Agenjo, CEO and secretary of Damm, met in the box. In addition, Marc Hazan, Vice President of Marketing and Partnerships at Spotify, and Javier Godó, Count of Godó, were present. In the stands, Enrique Riquelme, businessman and former candidate for the presidency of Real Madrid, also attended the meeting, although from a space other than the box.
With the presence of these characters, the Clásico was not only a sporting duel, but also an event that brought together the football community with politics, culture and business, reinforcing the importance of football as a social and cultural phenomenon in Spain and the world.