Ed Sheeran has teamed up with FC Barcelona to launch a limited-edition Clásico shirt. Find all the details below.
- READ MORE: Ed Sheeran – ‘Play’ review: a hasty retreat to the genre-spanning of old
It marks the latest collaboration with Spotify and FC Barcelona – following on from special partnerships and designs from Travis Scott, Coldplay, KAROL G, The Rolling Stones, ROSALÍA and Drake.
Sheeran’s shirt will celebrate his most recent album ‘Play‘, and will debut on October 19 for the women’s match against Granada CF, before appearing again on October 26 for the men’s Clásico against Real Madrid.
The shirt will go on sale tomorrow (October 15), and will be available here.
The release includes one limited-edition version of the match shirt, which will only be available in 1,899 units, as well as an even more exclusive version for sale in just 22 units, which is signed by the starting players from both the men’s and women’s matches. There will also be 11 shirts signed by Sheeran himself.
FC Barcelona will also release a special edition of the popular Barça Matchday playlist on Spotify, curated by Ed Sheeran, featuring songs chosen to motivate players and fans ahead of the match.
Commenting on the collaboration, Sheeran said: “Seeing my new album, Play, on the Barça shirt is one of those moments I can hardly believe. I’ve loved football my whole life, so bringing my music to such an iconic stage and sharing it with fans everywhere means a lot to me.”
It’s not the first time Sheeran has linked up with a football club. Last year, the singer-songwriter, who has been a lifelong fan of Ipswich, purchased a minority stake amounting 1.4 per cent, according to the Ipswich Town football club in a statement. Sheeran has been the front-of-shirt sponsor for the Men’s and Women’s teams since 2021.
Sheeran released his eighth studio album ‘Play’ last month, including the singles ‘A Little More’, ‘Azizam’, ‘Old Phone’ and ‘Sapphire’. In a three-star review, NME called the project “a hasty retreat to the genre-spanning of old”. It added: “‘Play’, which apparently kicks off a groan-inducing new series of albums named after buttons on a remote control, just about makes the most of his bag of tricks.”
Sheeran has already spoken about his vision for his next four LPs: ‘Pause’, ‘Fast Forward’, ‘Rewind’ and ‘Stop’, and recently revealed that he has plans for a posthumous album called ‘Eject’.
Sheeran also shared that he “made ‘Play’ and ‘Rewind’ at the same time”, adding that the latter was almost ready to go. “It’s two months off being totally locked and loaded,” he said.
As for when fans could expect his next record to arrive, Sheeran said: “I guess at some point in the next 18 months it will come out.”
The musician has announced a UK and European arena tour for this winter – including shows in Manchester and Dublin. Visit here for tickets.
