Why do Barcelona have a tongue on the jersey for El Clásico?

It seems that the folk over in Barcelona just can’t get no satisfaction. That’s right, the new Rolling Stones inspired logo that will be appearing on the shirts of Gavi, Lewandowski, Félix et al on 28 October when they play Real Madrid in the first Clásico of the season, is perfect for all those pun makers out there. Tongues will be wagging.

This announcement, of course, is neatly aligned with the release of the English group’s new album, Hackney Diamonds, (here’s Paul to explain why it got its name) which became available on 20 October. That’s 18 years after their last original offering!

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Rolling Stones link up with Barça

As you’ll likely already know, FC Barcelona signed up with Spotify early in 2022 and that has opened up some opportunities - remember this from Rosalia or this from Drake? - for some musical notes to be struck. With finances rather high on the agenda for the Catalan club, spin-off shirts to sell to their millions of eager fans is certainly one approach to putting a smile on the Camp Nou accountants’ faces.

Now, given recent charges of referee bribes, some opposing fans may not have much sympathy for the devil, but the huge lips and tongue are surely a better choice than just painting it black. And wild horses couldn’t hold the players back from getting involved in some of the promotional material, of which there is a lot.

Spotify activates the Stones in Camp Nou

Here’s what the club had to say about the launch:

“The Rolling Stones logo swap is the latest activation in the partnership between Spotify and FC Barcelona which brings the worlds of Music and Football together. This activation is an example of how the partnership with Barça is bigger than just branding. We’re giving platforms to artists and their work in a way that’s not been done before.

“Whether through Matchday Songs curated by Barça players or through Spotify Camp Nou LEDs, Spotify is using the partnership to truly bring the worlds of music and sports together.”

And what about the band (made up of Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood) themselves. Handily, they had a statement ready too:

“We’re huge football fans and honoured that Spotify have brought our Tongue & Lips logo to grace the FC Barcelona shirt to celebrate the release of the Stones’ new ‘Hackney Diamonds’ album. We’ll be cheering on the players on the pitch as well as fans around the world who will be tuning in to watch this iconic match.”

How can I get a tongued Barça jersey?

If you want to sign up for one of these tongue-emblazened shirts then get your name down on the Barça shop’s official register, with two tickets being available to win for the Clásico to the early uptakers.

So, as it turns out, it’s not only rock ‘n’ roll, as there’s a bit of sport added into life’s mix, and fans will be hoping that the new design will start their heroes up for the huge game against their biggest rivals, Madrid.

Remember though, as Mick once said, you can’t always get what you want.

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