FC Barcelona’s 3-0 win against rival Real Madrid provided plenty of memorable moments Saturday, including Lionel Messi assisting on a goal while wearing only one shoe. Technology was in place during the match to make sure those moments stood out even more.
Here are the top three technology activations that impacted El Clasico:
Dedicated player cameras
Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo were tracked by dedicated player cameras during the entire match produced by Mediapro, enabling fans to see the little things that the players do, Messi’s goal in the 64th minute from an up-close perspective, and also troll Ronaldo during Real Madrid’s loss.
“I don’t see anyone better than me” -Ronaldo
“No player does things that I cannot do myself, but I see things others can’t do.” -Ronaldo
“There’s no more complete player than me. I’m the best player in history”-Ronaldo #ElClasico pic.twitter.com/oXobjws6I9— ϟ (@kareem_exe) December 23, 2017
There was plenty of attention focused on the two global stars, with El Periodico even tracking Messi to the point that he worked his magic during the match while walking 83 percent of the time.
Two cameras were also trained on the managers — Real Madrid’s Zinedine Zidane and FC Barcelona’s Ernesto Valverde.
Intel’s Be the Player
The 360-degree replay technology from Intel isn’t new for El Clasico, as it was already used one year ago. But television viewers getting a chance to see the action from a player’s point of view as if they were on the field was a first for a LaLiga broadcast.
“Be the Player” uses Intel 360 replay tech to freeze a moment in the match and see it from the player’s perspective thanks to a virtual camera that was introduced during the Super Bowl. Cameras stitch together pixels with volume to recreate the image as if equipment were actually on the player’s head.
Intel powered 360 degree replays during #ElClasico #RMAFCB #LaLiga #VR #IntelExperience pic.twitter.com/XJrhkeIshN
— Paolo Pescatore (@paolopescatore) December 24, 2017
Social media
Doha, Qatar-based beIN Sports had rights to the game and created themed team filters on Snapchat for fans in Qatar and Kuwait.
Madrid to win it today! Make sure you troll the Barca fans in your house
if you’re in #qatar or #kuwait show your support through the #beINElClásico Snapchat lens! pic.twitter.com/bqcXRBCONp
— Kareem Dabbagh (@kmenyaffa) December 23, 2017
Also on social, FC Barcelona used Fastory to engage fans before the game.
The all-new #ElClásico Fastory!https://t.co/yHrdujx6Xt
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) December 22, 2017