FC Barcelona arrives in Johannesburg for Mamelodi Sundowns match

Cape Town, South Africa (PANA) – Thousands of people on Wednesday welcomed Spanish football giants, FC Barcelona, which arrived in Johannesburg for a friendly match against top Premier Soccer League club Mamelodi Sundowns.

Lionel Messi‚ Gerard Pique‚ Andres Iniesta and Luis Suarez were among the stars who will play on Wednesday night at the FNB Stadium in Soweto.

The last time Iniesta was in South Africa was when he scored the winning goal for Spain in the 2010 FIFA World Cup final against the Netherlands at the same venue. There is expected to be a heavy police presence at the stadium.

They players will spend a few hours at a city hotel before the match and are scheduled to return to Europe on Thursday.

Barcelona is one of the most widely supported teams in the world. Its players have won a record number of Ballon d'Or awards (11), with recipients including Johan Cruyff, as well as a record number of FIFA World Player of the Year awards (7), with winners including Messi, Ronaldo, Romário and Ronaldinho.
-0- PANA CU/MA 16May2018