Singing superstar Ed Sheeran took some time away from the microphone to watch a chaotic El Clasico clash between Real Madrid and Barcelona on Sunday night.
Sheeran, 34, is an Ipswich Town fans and owns a minority stake in the former Premier League club, but had no second thoughts over donning a Barca shirt to watch the game in New York.
The game descended as tempers flared at full-time – and wonderkid Lamine Yamal was at the centre of things. Goals from Kylian Mbappe and England’s Jude Bellingham – who later aimed a dig at Yamal – earned Madrid a vital win, but the drama didn’t stop there.
Dani Carvajal appeared to confront Yamal following his barbed comments in the run-up to the clash, when the 18-year-old compared Real to a team that ‘robs, complains, and does things’, something that didn’t go down well in the Spanish capital before Yamal was escorted away.
Nonetheless, Sheeran was in good spirits, and even posed with a Barcelona legend as he attended the Spotify FC Barcelona El Clasico watch party in New York.
He was surrounded by adoring fans, and was snapped with his arm around former centre back Carlos Puyol, who made 593 appearances for the club before his retirement in 2014.
Ed Sheeran spent Sunday evening partying in New York as he watched El Clasico with a Barcelona legend
Sheeran sponsored the Barcelona kit for the game and shared a throwback photo in the week
Sheeran was wearing Barcelona’s special shirt that the side wore as a limited edition kit for the Clasico.
His new album ‘Play’ was printed on the front of the shirt as the sponsor, replacing the usual Spotify logo, which is part of the deal with the audio streamer.
Sheeran is the first British male solo artist to sponsor the shirt, with Travis Scott, Coldplay and Drake having all previously done so too.
Sheeran said upon the announcement: ‘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.’
He also released a song titled ‘Barcelona’ in 2017, dedicated to his love for the city.
Earlier this week, the singer shared a photo of himself as a youngster, wearing a classic Barcelona shirt.
The caption read: ‘My first Barca shirt, got this at my cousin’s wedding in 1999. Now I have my own, life is wild.
The club said the deal is a first to ‘bring the worlds of music and football together’.
Sheeran said of the partnership: ‘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’
The game erupted into chaos as Vinicius Jnr tried to challenge Lamine Yamal as he was led off by security, but he was restrained
After the game, Real goalscorer Jude Bellingham aimed his own dig at Yamal on social media
Unfortunately for Sheeran, however, his adopted side lost the game and are now five points off rivals Madrid at the top of LaLiga.
In the melee at the end of the game, Carvajal seemed to be making a talking gesture with his hands and Yamal, who was saying something back, attempted to approach the veteran full back but was restrained by Edouardo Camavinga.
Several players then piled in, with Thibaut Courtois pushing Yamal away and pointing his fingers at him.
The wonderkid was escorted off the pitch by security but not before Vinicius Jnr tried to challenge him, although the Brazilian was held back.
Several other players from both sides continued to jostle on the pitch following the dramatic encounter, which saw Real go five points clear of their rivals at the top of the LaLiga table.
Bellingham later posted on Instagram after the game and added the caption: ‘Talk is cheap. HALA MADRID ALWAYS!!!,’ in a clear reference to Yamal.
