Official Statement
LUN 24.07.2023
On July 22nd, the much-anticipated LALIGA Club Legend Tour 2023 China reached its peak as more than 900 football fans and guests gathered at SHANGHAI EXPO HUANGPU SPORTS PARK for an unforgettable football carnival. The five-day event, which featured three LALIGA ambassadors - Iker Casillas, Fernando Morientes, and Luis García - along with Chinese Super League star Wu Lei and over 100 football influencers together, brought a glamourous football experience. As the first major European football league to bring its illustrious legends to China and for large-scale offline events since the pandemic, LALIGA hopes to respond to the eager anticipation of Chinese fans through this Legend Tour and football carnival.
During the carnival, the presence of LALIGA ambassadors Casillas, Morientes, Luis García, and the former LALIGA player, CSL Star Wu Lei charmed the crowd with their enthusiastic interactions, igniting the atmosphere with two thrilling and fierce football exhibition matches. Fans and guests indulged in various football games, Spanish delicacies, and live performances by bands, immersing themselves in a pure Spanish football world. As the night fell, the night of carnival successfully concluded with watching a football match and fans cheerings. Throughout the carnival, numerous lucky draws offered a chance for fans to win coveted prizes, including signed footballs and jerseys autographed by the LALIGA ambassadors.
Sergi Torrents, General Manager of LALIGA China espressed his satisfaction with the successful organization of the LALIGA Club Legend Tour 2023 China, "Thank you very much for coming, welcome everybody and LALIGA fans, pleasure to us to be back, after few years not being here, today we are meeting in shanghai again, happy to be here, let me warm welcome to our guests, and our special guest as well, Wu Lei."
The Legend Tour marked the first offline event in China since EA SPORTS became the title sponsor of LALIGA which also brought multiple interaction experiences to the carnival. As the official media partner, LALIGA not only exclusively recruited fans to attend the carnival on the China leading lifestyle platform “THE RED BOOK” but also conducted exclusive live broadcasts,to outreach to a burgeoing young audience. Meanwhile, the event received strong support from other sponsors and partners, including Migu Video, Mahou, PUMA, Chinese Super League, Oriental Pearl TV Tower, ITTF Museum and CTT Museum and Activation Group.
It's also worth mentioning that TURESPAÑA, one of partners, showcased unique Spanish culture and inviting views to the attending fans and guests. Three LALIGA ambassadors extended a warm invitation to all to visit Spain. Iker Casillas expressed his warm welcome to Chinese fans: "I am delighted to be here with Chinese fans and would love to meet you in Spain, where you can experience the most passionate Spanish football and charming culture and scenery." TURESPAÑA has collaborated with LALIGA for years, jointly releasing the tourism guide "Welcome to LALIGA" for three consecutive years aiming to present the beauty of Spain to Chinese tourists with introducing various Spanish cities and football clubs. More cooperations are expected in the future to provide more exciting experiences for Chinese football fans.
“It is always a pleasure to return to China, where they follow LALIGA with such devotion”, stated Fernando Morientes. “You know that LALIGA is followed with passion all over the world, but when you can spend a few days in the country, in this case in China, and you can share time with the fans, you realize that your expectations are far exceeded”, explained Luis García.
LALIGA Club Legend Tour 2023 China Made Its Mark in Five Cities
The LALIGA Club Legend Tour 2023 China swept through five cities - Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, and Zhengzhou - setting off a football frenzy and offering Chinese fans enriching offline activities and experiences.
On July 19th, Fernando Morientes and Luis García visited the Shaolin Yanlu Kungfu School in Zhengzhou, Henan, delving into Chinese Kung Fu culture, watching performances and experiencing the charm of Chinese martial arts. On the same day, Iker Casillas landed in Beijing and returned to the rebuilt Beijing Workers' Stadium where he has been to 12 years ago, interacting warmly with young players from Beijing Guoan FC academy, cheering them on for growing to the future stars of Chinese football.
On July 20th, three LALIGA ambassadors held a roundtable lecture with enthusiastic students at Donghua University during the stay in Shanghai, sharing their precious career experiences and life insights with answering the students’ questions.
In the afternoon of the same day, they posed for photographs in front of the landmark Oriental Pearl TV Tower with LALIGA's new brand logo. The new logo consists of the initials "LL," with the first "L" formed by players' celebrations when they score a goal and kneel with the silhouette of their body and the second "L" by the fans with their arms when celebrating their team’s goals or success.
On the afternoon of July 21st, three LALIGA ambassadors came to the studio of LALIGA's official broadcast partner, Migu Video, to record a special program for Chinese fans. On that evening, LALIGA collaborated with the CSL, bringing two LALIGA ambassadors and LALIGA trophy to the home stadium of Shanghai Port FC. The unexpected appearance of the ambassadors before the match received a fierce welcome from all fans. They also enjoyed the atmosphere of Chinese football during the CSL match.
The next day, they visited International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Museum and Chinese Table Tennis (CTT) Museum, enjoying table-tennis with Olympic champions Wang Liqin and Yan Sen. Moreover, Iker Casillas and Luis García also interacted with fans through live streaming on The Red Book, bringing them even closer to Chinese fans.
After the carnival, Luis García traveled to Shenzhen on July 23rd and visited the first stop of LALIGA CLUB experience tour in China, where he was warmly received by numerous fans. The exhibition showcased the cultural, the rich historic and the characteristics of LALIGA clubs, offering Chinese fans another feast of football culture.
Meanwhile, the last stop of the tour was in Hong Kong, where Fernando Morientes visited the LALIGA Hong Kong Football School. He interacted warmly with local students, encouraging young players to enjoy football and concluding the LALIGA Club Legend Tour 2023 China on a perfect note.
LALIGA kicked off a NEW ERA
This summer, LALIGA unveiled a new brand and strategic positioning with the slogan "The Power of our Fútbol." As a global brand that reaches various audience groups, LALIGA's new strategic positioning emphasizes its pride as an organization that inspires people and society with the power of football. The successful organization of this event reaffirms LALIGA's commitment and once again highlights its characteristics of multi-target, since it reaches people of different ages and backgrounds; multi-engagement, and can be interacted with in different ways and with different intensity; and multicultural, thanks to its strong global presence.
Through the LALIGA Club Legend Tour 2023 China and the football carnival event, LALIGA reaffirms its firm dedication to the Chinese fans and further demonstrating its influence as a global brand. Through the power of football, LALIGA will continue to establish a closer connection with Chinese fans with providing more exciting football events and experiences while promoting the communication of football and cultures between the two countries. In the future, LALIGA will keep its pace with its new brand and strategic positioning, bringing more anticipated Spanish football feasts to Chinese fans.
© LALIGA - 2023