Barça Legends to play River Plate Leyendas

For the first time in more than 60 years, Barça will play on Argentine soil. The club’s last visit was in 1964. On Saturday 5 July, the Barça Legends will end their season by taking on River Plate Leyendas, one of Argentina’s two most iconic sides and a giant throughout the Americas. The match will be staged at the Estadio Monumental, the country’s largest stadium, with a capacity of around 85,000.

The Barça Legends have already played seven games this season, showing their magic in Brazil, Qatar, Japan, Puerto Rico, India, Mexico and Georgia. The fixture in Argentina, coached once again by Albert Ferrer, will bring the campaign to a close until after the summer break.

Illustrious names

Barça Legends have confirmed stars such as Vítor Baia, Jesús Angoy, Sergi Barjuan, Marc Valiente, Frank de Boer, Roberto Trashorras, Gaizka Mendieta, Edgar Davids, Phillip Cocu, Marc Crosas, Bojan Krkic, Ricardo Quaresma, Ludovic Giuly, Ronaldinho and Javier Saviola—the latter having played for both clubs. River’s side is set to include Marcelo Barovero, Matías Giordano, Ubaldo Fillol, Jonatan Maidana, Roberto Ayala, Mario Yepes, Diego Placente, Ariel Franco, Leonardo Ponzio, Ariel Ortega, Alejandro Domínguez, Pablo Aimar, Rodrigo Mora, Marcelo Salas, Juan Pablo Ángel, Norberto “Beto” Alonso, Enzo Francescoli and Leonardo Pisculichi.

History in Argentina

Barça have played in Argentina on three separate tours, visiting Buenos Aires, Rosario and Córdoba:

August 1928 – Six friendlies: five in Buenos Aires (three v. the Argentine national team, plus Independiente and Boca Juniors) and one in Rosario against a local select XI. Argentina legend Carlos Gardel, an honorary Barça member, played host to the squad.

July 1963 – A triangular tournament against a Buenos Aires XI and Boca Juniors.

July 1964 – The Copa de la Confraternidad against River Plate, Boca Juniors and Brazil’s Botafogo, followed by a friendly in Córdoba versus Talleres.

Argentine links

Barça’s bond with Argentina is long-standing. The greatest player of all time, Lionel Messi, hails from Rosario, but he is just one, albeit a very important one, in a long line of Argentines to wear the blaugrana jersey, including Javier Saviola, Juan Román Riquelme, Javier Mascherano, Kun Agüero, Roberto Bonano, Juampi Sorín and Diego Maradona.

Other sports sections have also featured Argentine stars. In basketball there is Nicolás Laprovittola today, and previously Leandro Bolmaro, Pepe Sánchez and Juan Domingo de la Cruz. The roller-hockey team boasts Pablo Álvarez and Matías Pascual (and in the past Gaby Cairo, David and José Luis Páez, Lucas Ordóñez, Carlitos López, among others). Handball likewise welcomed Argentine goalkeeper Leo Maciel in 2021/22.