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Rap icon Drake has been left in awe after learning that Barcelona will sport his famous OVO owl logo in Sunday’s (October 16) El Clasico against Real Madrid.
Grammy-winning Canadian singer Drake recently became the first-ever singer to achieve 50 billion streams of his songs on Spotify. To commemorate this unique achievement, Barcelona, who are sponsored by Spotify, will flaunt Drake’s OVO owl logo on their famous Blaugrana shirt on Sunday.
Juli Guiu, the vice president of marketing at Barca, told the club's website (via Goal):
“For the first time in our history, we are replacing the name of our main partner on the front of the jersey with an internationally acclaimed artist in Drake, winner of 4 Grammy awards and record breaker in different categories, such as being the first artist to accumulate 50 billion streams on Spotify."
He added:
"This initiative shows our potential to become a unique platform to offer experiences that help bring us closer to our fans while reaching out to new audiences around the world.”
Upon learning of the tribute, Drake took to Instagram to share his gratitude. He wrote.
“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 😂🤷🏽♂️”
In addition to wearing the unique matchday jersey against Real Madrid, Barca will also wear special training tops during warm-ups, sporting Drake’s name and the number 50 on the back.
Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti reportedly believes it is the right time to strike Barcelona
According to Tomas Roncero of El Chiringuito TV (via Barca Universal), Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti has urged his players to take the fight to Barca in Sunday’s Clasico. The Italian coach has reportedly said that the Blaugrana were struggling and the Whites could not afford to give them a lifeline.
During Thursday’s training session, Ancelotti reportedly sent the following message to his team:
“Barca are dead right now, and the only way they can revive is by beating us on Sunday. We can’t let them win again. This is a final.”
The two arch-rivals are currently level on 22 points at the top of the La Liga table after eight rounds of fixtures. Both the Blaugrana and Los Merengues are coming into the match on the back of stalemates in the Champions League.
While Real Madrid were held to a 1-1 draw against Shaktar Donetsk on Tuesday (October 11), Barcelona drew 3-3 with Inter Milan on Wednesday (October 12). Madrid, however, have already qualified for the last 16, while Barca find themselves on the precipice of yet another group-stage elimination.
