FC Barcelona will send a large delegation to London for the 70th edition of the Ballon d'Or Gala, which for the first time will be held in the British capital instead of Paris. President JoanLaporta will lead the group, along with all the club's candidates who will participate in the different awards. Among the players who will represent the team are LamineYamal, PauCubarsí, RodrigoHernández, JoanGarcia, CataColl, EsmeeBrugts, PatriGuijarro, CarolineGrahamHansen, ClaudiaPina, EwaPajor, VickyLópez, ClaraSerrajordi and PereRomeu.
At an institutional level, Laporta will be attended by the vice presidents RafaYuste and ElenaFort, the directors XaviPuig and XavierBarniol, and the members of the sports area Deco, BojanKrkic, AlejandroEchevarría, EnricMasip and MarcVivés. The delegation will transfer to the airport and depart together, although LamineYamal has chosen to travel on a private jet that he rented for his parents, his partner, family, friends and his team staff.
The gala will take place at the LondonPalladium Theater and will be broadcast to Spain through Movistar+ starting at 9:00 p.m., with a scheduled duration of two hours. The event will be hosted by ThierryHenry, former Barça player, and British journalist KateScott, who will also appear on CBS' Champions League broadcasts. In addition, the organizers plan to turn the delivery into a spectacle with several surprises and musical performances. JorjaSmith will open the night with “BlueLights,” and rapper FrenchMontana will also perform.
The reason for choosing London is to pay tribute to Stanley Matthews, who won the first Ballon d'Or in 1956. Barça hopes to take advantage of the occasion to highlight their presence, both due to the number of candidates and the awards they could win. With the delegation ready and the stage set, the night promises to be memorable for the club's fans and for the world of football.