– Rivaldo returns to Barcelona and goes undercover to surprise fans
– FC Barcelona legend joins training session disguised as Betfair competition winner, Roberto Da Silva
– WATCH fans reaction as Rivaldo astonishes players with his magical control
On Sunday 15th January Rivaldo appeared at FC Barcelona to surprise a group of superfans who had been selected out of thousands of entrants from around the world as part of Betfair’s #MagicOfBarça competition.
The 1999 Ballon d’Or winner and FC Barcelona legend visited his old training ground under the illusion of some comprehensive prosthetics including fake hair, beard and nose. The footballing hero participated in the famous FC Barcelona ‘Rondo’ training session alongside the winners, completely unbeknown to them.
The session culminated in an 11 a-side game for which Rivaldo, who had been cleverly playing down his elite skills in the training session, came on as a sub for the losing team and unleashed some much needed star quality and single-handedly clawing back a victory with his bag of tricks, turns and magical touch.
Upon revealing his true identity, you can see just how much it means to these FC Barcelona fans who are left in awe of the magic they were witnessing.
Rivaldo, FC Barcelona legend and Betfair’s ‘Undercover Ringer’, said: “Taking part in Betfair’s MagicOfBarça experience was great fun, I have never done anything like that before! There were a couple of moments when I thought people suspected I was someone else but when I saw the fans surprised faces at the end of the match I knew we pulled it off. I loved being back playing on the pitch in Barca, even if it wasn’t my best performance of my career!”
Rivaldo was brought in by Betfair and FC Barcelona as part of their #MagicOfBarça campaign. The campaign aims to build anticipation and excitement in line with Betfair’s ‘Ready?’ brand positioning through a series of strategic partnerships, pioneering collaborations, blockbuster content and memorable fan experiences.
Paul Gambrill, Marketing Director for Betfair, said: “It’s a privilege to be associated with such a great club like FC Barcelona and in line with Betfair’s customer driven ethos we want the fans to feel the benefit first and foremost.
“Since our partnership started at the beginning of this season, we’ve been working with FC Barcelona to deliver our MagicOfBarça campaign which is not only about celebrating the magic on the pitch but creating moments of magic for fans that live beyond the match. In true Price Rush spirit we wanted to give fans a truly unique and inspiring experience, one that was better than they bargained for and it was a pleasure to work with Rivaldo to help us achieve this.”
Robert Taylor, FC Barcelona Superfan and Brazilian Betfair Competition Winner, said: “The Rivaldo surprise was fantastic I didn’t know that it was him in disguise. To play alongside a hero of mine from when I was growing up was a beautiful moment and a memory I will never forget.”
–ENDS–
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