Featured Image Credit: Twitter/FC Barcelona & Instagram/champagnepapi
Topics: Barcelona, Real Madrid, Football, La Liga
Rory O'Callaghan
Topics: Barcelona, Real Madrid, Football, La Liga
Barcelona have announced they will wear the logo of Canadian rapper Drake on the front of their shirts for Sunday's El Clasico match against Real Madrid.
The Catalan club will wear the owl logo of Drake's label OVO for this weekend's trip to the Bernabeu.
The unusual move is part of Barcelona's new sponsorship deal with music streaming giants Spotify.
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Drake's logo will replace Spotify's on Barcelona's shirt for one match as part of the agreement, with further collaborations with other artists likely to happen later on in the season.
A statement on Barcelona's website read: "One of the main ideas behind the alliance between FC Barcelona and Spotify is to bring football and music together in order to connect with new audiences around the world.
"As both are capable of bringing people together and exciting fans, for the first time, the men's football team will enter the pitch for Sunday's Clasico wearing a jersey featuring the logo of an internationally acclaimed artist – rapper and singer Drake, winner of 4 Grammy awards and the first to surpass 50 billion streams on Spotify – rather than their main partner's logo.
"So, on October 16, instead of seeing the world's most popular audio streaming subscription service logo on the front of the Barca jersey, those watching the game against Real Madrid will see the silhouette of an owl - the logo of the Canadian singer's brand.
"Spotify has given this privileged space on the jersey as part of the framework of the partnership with the Club, just one of the actions that both brands are putting into place to offer innovative experiences for football fans, as well as helping to reach new audiences through music.
"As was announced when the agreement was ratified, this type of exchange on the front of the jersey is scheduled to happen more as the season progresses."
Barcelona are currently top of La Liga, ahead of bitter rivals Real Madrid on goal difference alone after eight matches.
While some fans have reacted positively to the news of the collaboration with Drake, others are worried that the rapper's supposed 'curse' could strike again in one of the most important matches of the season.
In recent years, Drake has been blamed for several sports stars and teams losing their next game or fight after posing for a photograph with the four-time Grammy award winner.
Supposed victims of the curse include Conor McGregor, Serena Williams and Anthony Joshua, and some Barcelona supporters are worried that Drake's sponsorship could result in their team losing to Real Madrid.
"No no no.. NOT THE DRAKE CURSE PLEASE NO," joked one fan on Twitter.
"Drake curse in full effect. Real Madrid winning 3-1," added another.
While a third joked: "Barca officially getting the Drake curse? Yikes."
Drake, on the other hand, is excited to be part of arguably the biggest match in world football.
He posted an image of himself posing with his logo on Barcelona's shirt to Instagram on Friday, alongside the caption: "To celebrate being the first artist with 50 billion streams on @spotify @FCBarcelona will wear the OVO owl at El Clasico on Sunday.
"This doesn't feel real but it is."