Jordi Alba defeated Guti in a village square matchup ahead of a league clash.
The former Barcelona defender edged the former Real Madrid midfielder in a friendly game of foot-tennis played in the medieval village of Puertomingalvo, Teruel, as reported by Superdeporte. This experience forms part of an initiative between Airbnb and LALIGA, with the platform serving as an official partner.
The unusual match took place in the plaza of the mountain village, which has a population of just 130 residents. Local fans joined the two retired stars as teammates, with Alba ultimately steering his side to victory in the cobblestone square.
The encounter was the centerpiece of a promotional event organized jointly by Airbnb and LALIGA. Puertomingalvo preserves an old medieval quarter declared a Good of Cultural Interest in the category of Historic Complex.
Airbnb and LALIGA designed the exclusive experience under the banner “Concéntrate para ELCLÁSICO con Jordi Alba y Guti”. The initiative allowed two contest winners, each bringing four friends, to drop into a professional-style training camp deep in the Gúdar-Javalambre comarca.
Superdeporte said that the trip included bus travel, a two-night stay in a local rural accommodation, physical conditioning routines, and dedicated physiotherapy support. The meeting with the two legends took place on October 20, a few days prior to the Barcelona-Real Madrid fixture.
Travel writer Eva Rojas hosted the retreat, which began with a walking tour of Puertomingalvo’s historic center led by a local resident. Participants explored the town’s stone-paved streets, visited an ancient bakery, tasted regional cuisine from Teruel, and stopped by Tina’s traditional ceramic workshop.
Putting themselves under the orders of the two coaches required movement, as guests also undertook a hiking route that included mushroom foraging, an autumn tradition in the region, alongside balanced menus.
“The days leading up to El Clásico are different from any other moment of the season.” “They are days to concentrate, prepare, and share time with your teammates before one of the most important matches of the year,” Alba said, according to Regio7.
During the conversation, Guti recalled the village of his grandparents, while Jordi Alba spoke about the days when he played in his neighborhood of L’Hospitalet de Llobregat.
“El Clásico is lived with enormous rivalry, but also with profound respect and with the passion that we share for football,” Guti told Superdeporte. When the conversation turned to score predictions, the former Madrid playmaker guessed a 2-4 win for his old side, while Alba predicted a 3-1 or 4-1 victory for Barcelona. Neither guessed the actual 1-2 final scoreline, though Guti came closer to the mark.
Puertomingalvo followed in the footsteps of Fuentealbilla, the hometown of Andrés Iniesta, which hosted a similar fan experience earlier in March. Airbnb currently lists properties across more than 5,300 villages in Spain.
Following their stay in Teruel, the contest winners received VIP tickets to attend the official league fixture in Barcelona on October 25, as reported by Superdeporte.
Earlier coverage: Jordi Alba and Guti Host Exclusive Airbnb and LALIGA Football Experience in Medieval Spanish Village
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