Barcelona to wear Coldplay shirts for next El Clasico match
They play Real Madrid next month
Coldplay are set to become to latest act to have their band logo emblazoned on the shirts of Catalan footballing giants FC Barcelona.
As part of their sponsorship deal with streaming service Spotify, Barca have worn one-off shirt designs at El Clásico matches over the past few seasons featuring the names of famous artists.
Promoting the release of The Rolling Stones’ ‘Hackney Diamonds’ album, Barcelona’s shirt in their home match against Real Madrid in October 2023 featured The Stones’ iconic tongues and lips.
Mick Jagger and Ronnie Wood also attended the game, but the shirt didn’t prove a good luck omen as Real Madrid won 2-1.
Barca also wore a kit featuring rapper Drake’s logo for the first El Clásico match of the 2022/2023 La Liga season in 2022, a game they lost 3-1.
The second El Clásico match of last season in March 2023 featured a special edition kit sporting the logo of Spanish singer and songwriter Rosalia. Barca won that game 2-1.
Sport is now reporting that Barcelona will wear a Coldplay kit when they play Real Madrid at Santiago Bernabeu in La Liga on 26th October.
The promotion celebrates the 4th October release of Coldplay’s tenth studio album ‘Moon Music,’ which features the Absolute Radio playlisted singles ‘feelslikeimfallinginlove’ and ‘We Pray.’
Coldplay have a close affinity with Barcelona as their 2008 song ‘Viva la Vida’ is often played to celebrate wins at the Nou Camp. It was also played during a farewell to the stadium before renovation work began in 2023.
In May 2023, Coldplay drummer Will Champion and guitarist Jonny Buckland visited Barcelona’s training ground while they were in the city for their five-night concert residency at Estadi OlÃmpic LluÃs Companys.
Footballers who love rock music:
Stuart Pearce
Psycho is a massive punk fan and has been to over 300 gigs by The Stranglers over the decades. Asked by Four Four Two magazine in 2003 whether he likes any more contemporary punk bands, Pearce said: "I do listen to modern punk and it's not at all bad. I like some of the American bands that are coming through. I saw Green Day a couple of weeks ago." Other bands he cites as his favourites include The Sex Pistols and Stiff Little Fingers.
Tomas Rosicky
The former Czech captain outed himself as a metalhead in a 'Mixtapes' interview on Arsenal's YouTube channel in 2015. Starkly juxtaposing the tastes of his Arsenal teammates, Rosicky listed Metallica's thrash metal classic 'Master of Puppets' as his favourite song of all time saying "it represents everything I like in metal music." His other song choices were Foo Fighters' 'Everlong', Red Hot Chili Peppers' 'Under The Bridge', In Flames' 'With Eyes Wide Open', Sylosis' 'Victims and Pawns', Pennywise's 'Bro Hymn', Rise Against's 'Prayer of the Refugee', Pantera's 'Cemetery Gates', Killswitch Engage's 'This Fire Burns', Slipknot's 'Dead Memories' and Metallica's 'Orion'. Impressive.
Jurgen Klopp
Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is a self-professed fan of heavier music. When describing the difference between himself and ex-Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger in 2017, Klopp said: "He likes having the ball, playing football, passed. It's like an orchestra but it's a silent song. But I like heavy metal more. I always want it loud." Klopp cites Genesis and KISS as among his favourite bands.
David de Gea
Former Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea said: "I like metal and rock bands like Slipknot and Metallica. When I put it on in the dressing room, everyone moans! Most of the other players are into hip-hop." His Manchester United team mate Ashley Young added at the time: "Whenever he puts the heavy metal on, a few people are looking around thinking 'alright, we need to get out of here'." When Download Festival 2018 headliners Avenged Sevenfold played Manchester Arena, he presented the band with a Manchester United shirt with the number '7x' on the back.
Marcus Hahnemann
The retired US keeper says he likes music that's "the heavier the better" and lists Slipknot, Mastodon, Five Finger Death Punch and Machine Head as his favourite acts to get him in the mood for a game. He told Kerrang! Radio in 2011: "It's a bit difficult in the changing rooms sometimes, thank God headphones were invented so I can get excited and not want to fall asleep!"
His footballing career has also enabled him elbow into the heavy metal fraternity. "During the World Cup in Germany I had the chance to meet Tool who are my favourite band of all time," he told Kerrang! Radio. "Kasey Keller and I went backstage at their show and I'm still really good friends with Justin (Chancellor, Tool bassist) to this day. I've seen them I don't know how many times."
He snuck on stage with Tenacious D at Reading 2010 and two years later recorded a track with Reading thrash metallers Malefice called 'Omega'.
Carles Puyol
The former Barcelona and Spain player, rightfully regarded as one of the finest defenders of his generation, is a big death metal fan. During his playing career, it's reported Carles warmed up for games while listening to extreme bands including Cannibal Corpse and his beloved Napalm Death. In keeping with his music tastes, he was an intimidating presence on the pitch too and nicknamed 'The Wall' by fans.
Slaven Bilic
The former West Ham manager and player has mighty fine taste in music. His favourite bands read like a holy grail of hard rock and heavy metal; Slayer, Metallica, AC/DC and Iron Maiden. Shortly before West Ham's 3-0 win against Liverpool at Anfield in 2015, Bilic played Megadeth in the team dressing. His assistant Julian Dicks said: "The gaffer's got me and him tickets (to a Megadeth concert). He put on a couple of their songs at Liverpool. It seemed to lift the mood of the dressing room."
Indicative of his intense passion for rock, he's also the rhythm guitarist of Croatian prog-metal outfit Rawbau. Ahead of Euro 2008 they recorded the unofficial Croatian anthem 'Vatreno Ludilo' ('Fiery Madness') which became a number one on home soil.
Sergio Ramos
The Sevilla defender cites Motörhead and Guns N' Roses as among his favourite bands and in May 2016 shared photos of himself and girlfriend Pilar Rubio hanging out with Axl Rose after AC/DC's gig at Estadio OlÃmpico de la Cartuja in Seville. "'A dream come true for Pilar Rubio and I got to meet a legend... Thank you, Axl Rose!," he wrote. TV presenter Rubio also has a fashion line called Metalhead Clothing and she features on the gory cover to Canadian thrash metal band Annihilator's 2013 album 'Feast'.
In June 2018 Ramos unveiled his own World Cup 2018 song alongside Spanish singer Demarco Flamenco, called 'Otra Estrella en tu Corazon', which, sadly, has a decidedly non-rock/metal vibe.
Claudio Caniggia
With his trademark flowing locks, it's absolutely no surprise that Claudio Caniggia has a penchant for rock music. A keen drummer, during the 1994 World Cup he was reportedly invited by Poison's Bret Michaels to guest at a show in Wisconsin where he apparently played on three tracks – 'Every Rose Has Its Thorn', 'Nothin' but a Good Time' and 'Unskinny Bop'.
However, undoubtedly the most 'metal' thing Claudio Caniggia did in his career was when he was excluded from the France '98 squad for refusing to comply with manager Daniel Passarrela's order to cut his hair.
Olof Mellberg
The retired defender says he has "always been a fan of rock music" and in November 2006 had a personal visit at Aston Villa's training ground from Swedish heavy metallers In Flames, who were touring with Slayer at the time. "In Flames contacted the club and said they wanted to come along to the training ground to say hi," explained Mellberg to the Daily Mirror. "Not a lot of people from Sweden come to Birmingham so it is nice when they do and you get to meet them - they are interesting guys. I went to their concert too and it was heavy stuff but I didn't bang my head and jump up and down. I wanted to save my energy for Blackburn but I grew up with rock and have always been a fan of that kind of music." He added: "I don't think I will play any of their albums in the changing room as the majority of players wouldn't enjoy it."
Kasey Keller
Just like his friend, fellow countryman and musical kindred spirit Marcus Hahnemann, Kasey Keller is a huge rock music fan and was a regular at Download Festival when playing in England. Originally a punk fan as a teenager, Keller developed a taste for "the heavy stuff" in early adulthood and as a Premiership goalie used his privileged position to hang with some of his favourite bands including Foo Fighters and System of a Down.
He told The Seattle Times in 2012: "The guys from Disturbed are good friends of mine because their manager is a Scottish guy who is a big soccer (football) fan who was the bass player for Supertramp. So, when Disturbed comes this summer, I'll be backstage with the guys and trying not to get bullied into drinking too much Jagermeister." Keller also counts Tool's Justin Chancellor and Max Cavalera (Sepultura/Cavalera Conspiracy/Soulfly) as among his close friends.
Terry Butcher
The formidable ex-defender and England captain didn't shirk at playing an entire game with blood pouring from a gaping head wound so it's no surprise he has a penchant for grittier music. A close friend of founding Iron Maiden member Steve Harris, Butcher is an avid fan of the band and has even played for the Maiden football team. In a blog for Classic Rock, Butcher enthused: "(Iron Maiden) have influenced so many others and been responsible for some of the best music of the last two decades. You have to wonder where we'd all be without them." Lofty words, indeed.
When Butcher was unveiled as Scotland assistant manager in 2008, his mobile went off during the press conference and Guns N Roses' 'Sweet Child O Mine' echoed around the room. Alongside Maiden and Guns N' Roses, he also cites Saxon as among his favourite bands.
Dan Eggen
The retired central defender turned coach, who was capped 25 times for Norway, is an aficionado of his country's most famous musical export since A-ha – black metal. Eggen appeared in Satyricon's 2001 behind-the-scenes DVD 'Roadkill Extravaganza', where he outed himself as a fan of the heavy metal subgenre. He also joined Pantera on stage at a gig in Spain where he headbanged and played air guitar for 30 seconds – the footage of which can be seen on YouTube.
Germán Burgos
When Burgos' playing career came to an end in 2004 he decided to channel his energy into his other passion; rock music. As the founder and frontman of hard rock band The Garb – named after his full initials for Germán Adrián Ramón Burgos – Burgos released several studio albums. Although his love of rock music remained undiminished (Burgos is a passionate Rolling Stones fans), in 2010 he returned to football coaching and he was recently assistant manager to Diego Simeone at Atlético Madrid.
Daniel Agger
In an interview with Liverpool Football Club's official website in 2013, Agger was asked what one song he would listen to if he was stuck on a desert island. Diplomatically opting for Gerry and The Pacemakers' 'You'll Never Walk Alone', Agger said if he wasn't able to choose that he'd go for Whitesnake's seminal anthem 'Here I Go Again'.
Peter Crouch
In October 2021, Peter Crouch shared a photo of himself, wife Abbey Clancy and their 10-year-old daughter Sophia backstage with Bring Me The Horizon at the band's sold-out PRYZM gig. A keen music aficionado, Peter Crouch regularly attends Isle of Wight Festival and in 2015 he made a quick cameo in the 'Gen Strange' music video by indie band Peace. Abbey Clancy meanwhile starred as an angel in The Darkness' music video for 'In Another Life.'
Patrick Bamford
Leeds United striker Patrick Bamford is an outspoken Bon Jovi aficionado and has said in interviews he listens to the New Jersey rockers to get pumped before matches. Jon Bon Jovi said in response: "(Patrick) is great. He gets motivated listening to Bon Jovi before a game. What could be better than that?!" In May 2021, Jon Bon Jovi was invited to Leeds United's home stadium Elland Road after he donned their training kit in a photograph at his New York apartment.