Gary Lineker reveals Barcelona stars would drink bottle of wine before El Clasico and admits ‘imagine that in England’

Former Barcelona striker Gary Lineker revealed that during his playing days at the club, players routinely shared bottles of Rioja wine on matchdays prior to El Clasico fixtures. Lineker explained that squads would stay in hotels before games and drink wine at lunch and the night before to aid their afternoon siestas, noting that four players would share a bottle just hours before kick-off.

Lineker also praised current Barcelona winger Anthony Gordon ahead of his El Clasico debut against Real Madrid. Lineker commended Gordon for quickly learning the Spanish language following his summer transfer from Newcastle and advised the forward to embrace the unique atmosphere of the historic rivalry.