RIYADH: Barcelona Captain Sergi Roberto is looking for a repeat of last season when his side defeated Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup final in Riyadh and then went on to become La Liga champions.
The Spanish Super Cup final last January saw Barcelona beat Real Madrid 3-1 and progress from that memorable triumph to go on and claim the title by 10 points over their fierce rivals. With Real currently top of La Liga, seven points ahead of third-placed Barca, Roberto hopes Riyadh can similarly propel them to glory this campaign.
The Spanish Super Cup 2024 “El Clasico” final will take place on Sunday night at Al-Awwal Park in the Saudi Arabian capital.
Speaking at the pre-final press conference, Roberto said: “We will try to repeat last season’s final. The Clasico is always special for both teams, and when it’s a final, it’s more than just a Clasico. Winning the cup tomorrow will be a motivation for us to continue competing for all available championships. Winning without a good performance is not bad, and the most important thing is the victory, even though we want to deliver both performance and results. But the most important thing is to win tomorrow.”
Versatile 31-year-old Roberto, who has been at Barcelona his entire career, continued his role in midfield on Thursday as goals from Robert Lewandowski and Lamine Yamal secured a 2-0 Spanish Super Cup semifinal win over Osasuna in Riyadh. As the longest-serving member of manager Xavi Hernandez’s squad, Roberto was made captain in the summer and says leading Barca to victory over Real on Sunday is something he would love.
“Being the captain for Barcelona in the final is something special for me and a great responsibility,” Roberto said. “I hope we will be at our best level. I hope to continue at Barcelona for several seasons and win more titles at this great club.”
The most recent El Clasico was in Barcelona in October, where a Jude Bellingham double — including an injury-time clincher — saw Los Blancos earn a 2-1 La Liga victory over the home side. Roberto knows performing for the full 90 minutes is crucial in ensuring a “Riyadh repeat” of last year’s triumph over their rivals.
“In La Liga, we were able to control the match and were closer to winning, but in the second half, Madrid were able to take advantage of the available opportunities and come back for the win,” he said.
“Possessing the ball and playing in our usual way is the key to victory (on Sunday). This season, we have been playing with a three in midfield, but tomorrow we will see what the coach decides on this matter. The most important thing is that we play a match worthy of Barca and can win the championship. Against Real Madrid, you have to give 100 percent to be able to defeat them and control the ball.”
Sunday’s final — after Real Madrid beat Atletico Madrid 5-3 in their semifinal in Riyadh on Wednesday — concludes the fourth occasion that the Spanish Super Cup has been played in Saudi Arabia.
Goals from Gavi, Robert Lewandowski and Pedri, with a late consolation from Karim Benzema, who now plays for Al-Ittihad in Jeddah, saw Barcelona win 3-1 in last year’s final.
The previous finals saw Real beat Atletico on penalties in Jeddah in 2020, then defeat Athletic Bilbao 2-0 in Riyadh two years later.
This year’s Spanish Super Cup is the latest illustration of Saudi Arabia’s commitment to host the very best international events across all sports, with football at the forefront.
