Rakuten Announces FC Barcelona Soccer Doc Series, Releases First-Look Trailer

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Streaming service and FC Barcelona sponsor Rakuten today announced docu-series Matchday – Inside FC Barcelona, which follows the famed soccer club through its 2018-2019 season.

The series, narrated by John Malkovich, will include locker room footage, game day action and private moments such as a barbeque at Luis Suárez’s house with Leo Messi and Jordi Alba; Gerard Piqué enjoying free time with his family; Marc-André ter Stegen designing his new house; and Ivan Rakitic cooking. Two episodes will be devoted to the famed ‘El Clasico’ vs Real Madrid.

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The eight-episode show is a collaboration between Barça Studios, FC Barcelona’s own production house, Kosmos Studios, Rakuten, Inc. in association with Rakuten H Collective Studio and Producciones del Barrio.

The series will premiere exclusively on Rakuten TV in Europe in November, to be followed by a Japan premiere and distribution globally by Rakuten through content partners. A first trailer is above.

Soccer doc series are becoming increasingly frequent with recent examples including Amazon’s Man City insight All Or Nothing and Netflix’s Sunderland ‘Til I Die.

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