Israel Tourism Ministry hosts Barça Legends players in Caesarea
In addition to playing their match, the Spanish team also traveled to Israel for the worldwide opening of "Barça The Exhibition", which is set to also appear in other countries in the coming months.
By GADI ZAIGIsrael Tourism Ministry hosts Barça Legends players in Caesarea(photo credit: ODED KARNI)
The Israel Tourism Ministry hosted FC Barcelona legendary players on a short tour of the ancient city of Caesarea on Monday, visiting many notable sites, a press release stated. The Barça Legends are "the result of an FC Barcelona program to showcase the great players that have worn its famous colors over the years," according to the soccer club's official website. The group arrived in Israel on Sunday, a couple of days in advance of where they will play against the legends of Real Madrid in a special "El Clasico" match. The match is set to take place on Tuesday at 8:00 p.m. local time at the Bloomfield Stadium in Tel Aviv. Former Barcelona starters to participate in the game include Ronaldinho, Rivaldo and Deco. The last Barcelona Legends game was played in Columbia in March 2020. The Tourism Ministry hopes that the club's visit will make Israel be more marketable for the rest of the world as an attractive tourist destination. Israel Tourism Ministry hosts Barça Legends players in Caesarea (Credit: Oded Karni)Tourism Minister Yoel Razvozov stated that: "To host sports legends in Israel – and to do so as Minister of Tourism – is a dream come true for me. I know from experience how much sport connects people and how these stars who we are hosting can be such good ambassadors for us around the world."In addition to playing their match, the Spanish team also travelled to Israel for the worldwide opening of 'Barça The Exhibition,' which takes the viewer on a journey through the club's history since its founding in 1899, and is also set to appear in other countries in the coming months.The club hopes that this event will bring the team closer to its international fan base. The exhibition opened on Sunday in Holon. Also on Sunday, FC Barcelona president Juan Laporta met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog at The President's Residence to open "Barça The Exhibition" and attend the "Legends Clásico," the club's website reported. Laporta even presented Herzog with a special FC Barcelona jersey that bears his name. The Spanish soccer club made headlines within Israeli media in recent weeks, as it was reported earlier this month that Beitar Jerusalem had canceled a friendly match with the team due to a request made that they play outside of Jerusalem.
