Presenting Matchday – Inside FC Barcelona – the new documentary series
Have you ever wondered how the world’s best soccer players experience the final minutes before kickoff of a season-defining match? Or how they spend their time off with family and friends, recovering from defeat, training for success and preparing mentally to perform in front of 80,000 diehard fans?
Matchday – Inside FC Barcelona, the new documentary series that follows the club through its 2018-2019 season, will deliver these unique moments to homes around the world, inviting fans to take a never-before-seen look at the inner world of legendary soccer Club FC Barcelona and see firsthand what makes Barca “more than a club.” With Matchday, a creation of Barca Studios, FC Barcelona’s own production house, produced in collaboration with Rakuten in association with Rakuten H Collective Studio, Kosmos Studios and Producciones del Barrio, viewers will be offered a no-holds-barred view of the club and players, following the team as they enjoy the excitement of victory and strive to overcome defeat.
“As a main global partner of FC Barcelona since 2017 that is committed to inspiring people through the power of sport, Rakuten is uniquely positioned to present this new documentary to fans around the world,” said Rahul Kadavakolu, head of the Rakuten global sports business. “The whole team at Rakuten is thrilled to share this fascinating new story about what motivates the world-class players of Barca and the team around them.”
Narrated by actor John Malkovich, the original new series shares crucial moments in the team’s most recent history and intimate insights into the lives of players including Messi, Pique, Ter Stegen and Suarez.
The documentary will delve into the most iconic scenes of select FC Barcelona matches including the famous “El Clasico,” a match against rivals Real Madrid, one of the most viewed sporting events in the world.
But Matchday doesn’t stop in the changing rooms or at the gates of legendary Camp Nou: It also follows the players off the pitch, giving exclusive insights into their private lives, such as a barbeque at Luis Suarez’s house with Leo Messi and Jordi Alba, Gerard Pique enjoying his free time together with his family or Marc-Andre ter Stegen designing his new house.
The eight x 45 minute Matchday episodes will premier exclusively on Rakuten TV in Europe in November, to be followed by a Japan premiere and distribution globally by Rakuten through content partners.
