Prime Minister Rumen Radev met with a delegation of the Football Club Barcelona and their international partners. The meeting was organized by the German Federal Association for Economic Development and Foreign Trade and was attended by Minister of Youth and Sports Encho Keryazov, Minister of Innovation and Digital Transformation Ivan Vasilev and Deputy Minister of Interior Kaloyan Miltenov.

On behalf of FC Barcelona, they expressed willingness for cooperation with Bulgaria in the development of kid and teen football by sharing expertise, good practices and methods and stated that they stand ready to support the development of a steady pattern to pinpoint, encourage and train the most talented young football players.

Prime Minister Rumen Radev noted that the government supports the development of sports for kids and teens and the construction of a modern sports infrastructure. The Prime Minister pointed out that sports, education and active lifestyle should offer more opportunities to young people.

Rumen Radev mentioned that the victories of the Spanish national football team prove the good performance of the Spanish football academies. As an example, he cited the achievement of the World Cup semi-finals and the fact that eight of the footballers who play for the Spain Squad are players of FC Barcelona.

The meeting discussed the idea of organizing a friendly match between the FC Barcelona first team and the national team of Bulgaria. In the understanding of the Prime Minister this would have a strong inspiring effect on Bulgarian children and young footballers.

Prime Minister Rumen Radev received as a gift a FC Barcelona jersey.