Kolkata is set to host an exhibition match between legends of Spanish football giants Barcelona FC and Real Madrid on November 25, West Bengal’s sports minister announced on Tuesday.
The Real Madrid vs Barcelona fixture, popularly known as El Clasico, is one of the fiercest rivalries in the sport.
This will be the second time the legends of the two clubs meet in India. Last year, they faced off at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai, where Real Madrid Legends secured a 2-0 victory, with Fernando Morientes and David Barral finding the net.
While the official squads are yet to be confirmed, Portuguese legend Luis Figo, who represented both Barcelona and Real Madrid during his illustrious career, and former Barca captain and FIFA World Cup winner Carles Puyol are among the notable names expected to take part in the contest.
The Blaugrana will return to Kolkata for the first time since September 2018, when they faced Indian footballing giants Mohun Bagan at the same venue.
The Catalans won 6-0 back then, with Javier Saviola, Roger Garcia, Pedro Landi, Jari Litmanen and Jofre Mateu among the goalscorers.
The upcoming exhibition will add another chapter to Kolkata’s rich footballing legacy. Widely regarded as the spiritual home of Indian football, the city has a long-standing connection with the beautiful game having welcomed several of its biggest names and clubs over the decades.
One of the most memorable occasions came in 1977, when Brazilian legend Pelé led New York Cosmos against Mohun Bagan at the Eden Gardens.
German heavyweights Bayern Munich also visited Kolkata in 2008, taking on Mohun Bagan in a friendly.
In 2011, the Argentina football team faced Venezuela at the Salt Lake Stadium in a friendly that marked Lionel Messi’s only match on Indian soil.
The latest announcement comes after the Salt Lake Stadium hosted two high-profile international friendlies involving the Indian men’s football team against five-time world champions Brazil and two-time world champions Uruguay in the first week of October.
