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Chris Wright, Toe Poke writer
Barcelona have unveiled their latest musical collaboration with the announcement that legendary rock band The Rolling Stones will be the next act to have their logo splashed across the front of the club’s jersey when the club takes on Real Madrid in both the men’s and women’s Clasicos.
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Branded the “honky-tonkiest Clásico shirt ever,” the Stones’ famous lips symbol will replace the Spotify branding on the Barca shirt when the men’s team face Real Madrid on Oct. 28 at the Estadi Lluis Companys, their temporary home while the Spotify Camp Nou is being renovated. The same logo will then be worn by the Barca Femeni team when they take on Sevilla in Liga F on Nov. 5 at the Estadi Johan Cruyff.
The deal coincides with the release of the Stones’ 26th (twenty-sixth!) studio album, “Hackney Diamonds,” their first since the passing of drummer Charlie Watts in 2021.
Barcelona aren’t the first major European club that The Stones have buddied up with. The band have a long-standing commercial agreement with Paris Saint-Germain that has produced a variety of merchandise produced bearing their lippy logo — from replica shirts and apparel to sneakers and skateboards.
Mick Jagger & Co. have also struck a similar arrangement with AC Milan which has seen a range of clothing produced bearing both the Rossoneri‘s club crest and the Stones’ instantly recognisable marque.
Don’t miss the second drop of our iconic capsule collection 🤩 #SempreMilan
— AC Milan (@acmilan) February 2, 2023
Barca have made a habit of wearing musical tie-in kits for the past few Clásicos with Drake being the first artist to have his marque displayed on the jersey when they took on Real at the Bernabeu in late 2022.
To help celebrate the Drake reaching 50 billion streams on Spotify, the club — who were once famed for their staunch aversion to corporate shirt sponsorship — allowed the Canadian rapper’s Owl logo to splashed across the front of their jersey in one of the biggest games of the season, which Barca promptly lost 3-1.
The following March saw the return fixture and a chance for Catalan pop star Rosalia to promote her new album by having its “MOTOMAMI” title graphic affixed to the Barca shirt for the Clásico against Real at the Camp Nou, which Barca were able to win 2-1.