Barcelona to wear Drake logo for El Clasico vs. Real Madrid

Barcelona will wear the logo of Canadian rapper and singer Drake on the front of their shirt in LaLiga on Sunday El Classico at Real Madrid to celebrate the fact that he is the first artist to hit 50 billion Spotify streams.

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The club welcomed Spotify on board as a main sponsor in March and have since promoted a number of artists via billboards at the Camp Nou, although Drake is the first to make it onto the actual shirt itself.

Once famous for their ideological aversion to shirt sponsors, Barca will now sport Drake’s logo on the front of their kits for a limited time – which, while celebrating the hip-hop star’s streaming successes, also gives the Catalan giants an odd touch of Sheffield Wednesdays old coat of arms.

Crest Love: #7 – The Owls, Sheffield Wednesday pic.twitter.com/EFlxj0MPUv

— Pog Mo Goal (@pogmogoal) September 25, 2013

Drake’s owl symbol will appear on the biggest stage in Spanish football, with Barcelona confirming that the limited-edition shirt will be worn for the first time against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu El Classico On Sunday.

“It doesn’t feel real but it is,” the 35-year-old wrote on Instagram.

Drake has previously sported Barca’s colors in public when a photo of him in the shirt was shared on his social media accounts last summer. In fact, the picture caused Dutch winger Memphis Depay – himself a budding hip-hop artist – to have a minor meltdown from the excitement.

Keep… @FCBarcelona
We just signed it @Drake ?🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/SYd2oNejlu

— Memphis Depay (@Memphis) August 26, 2021

Of course, this isn’t the first time a headline musician has collaborated with a football club, with many pop, rock and hip-hop stars having their trademarks on shirts in the past.

The Rolling Stones have their own line of Paris Saint-Germain special merchandise that includes football shirts as well as bizarre offerings like sneakers, moped helmets and skateboards.

OFFICIAL: PSG have launched their ‘unique collaboration’ with the Rolling Stones. #PSGNoFilter pic.twitter.com/Dh9mySO5RP

— Jonathan Johnson (@Jon_LeGossip) October 18, 2017

Bob Marley has adorned several jerseys in recent years with Ajax Amsterdam and Northern Ireland’s Bohemians releasing tributes to the Jamaican reggae legend.

Get up this morning, smile with the rising sun.

Introducing our new 21-22 third kit, inspired by our collective love for @Bob Marley and his three little birds. pic.twitter.com/YiPUS7AR19

— AFC Ajax (@AFCAjax) August 20, 2021

Bohemians and Bob Marley’s family collaborated on their new away kit 🤩

Shirt sales will raise funds to bring football and music to asylum seekers in Ireland 👏 pic.twitter.com/gwC0GowK5z

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) January 24, 2022

Seattle Sounders FC created an appropriately psychedelic salute to guitar hero Jimi Hendrix, one of the city’s most famous sons, with their drab purple 2021 away kit.

⬥ The Jimi Hendrix kit ⬥

Inspired by a game day tradition honoring a Seattle icon. pic.twitter.com/DNJUGCWDIn

— Seattle Sounders FC (@SoundersFC) March 25, 2021

Iron Maiden bassist Steve Harris is known as a huge West Ham United fan and regularly plays live shows with a signature guitar bearing the crest of his beloved club.

He has also worked with the Hammers to make a pair of limited edition West Ham x Iron Maiden replica jerseys and special edition training lines.

Iron Maiden and West Ham United launch new football shirt and training collection https://t.co/ZE4Z14CYIu

— Metal Hammer (@MetalHammer) April 16, 2021

Ipswich Town has teamed up with local celebrity fan Ed Sheeran on a number of occasions, including a couple of back-to-back home kits (all featuring the singer-songwriter’s mathematical symbols) and this season’s incredibly popular ‘Blackout’ kit.