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FC Barcelona Soccer Star Snubs Fanboy Max Verstappen to Choose Lewis Hamilton as Favorite Driver

Somin Bhattacharjee
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FC Barcelona Soccer Star Snubs Fanboy Max Verstappen to Choose Lewis Hamilton as Favorite Driver

When Max Verstappen isn’t focused on F1 or sim racing, he spends his time following soccer, as many other drivers do. The Dutch driver is a fan of PSV Eindhoven in The Netherlands and also supports FC Barcelona, one of the most successful teams in the world.

Ahead of Barcelona’s 27th league title win, their star left-back Alejandro Balde was asked who his favorite driver was. The 19-year-old sensation replied by saying that it was none other than seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton’s rival in F1, Verstappen, wouldn’t be too happy about this.

Despite Verstappen being a huge fan of Barcelona, one of their best players this season, Balde, chooses Hamilton over him. This was reported by Barca Universal on Twitter. This isn’t a surprise, since Hamilton has a huge and loyal fanbase all over the world. He has inspired an entire generation of athletes across all sports.

Verstappen, however, has supported Barcelona for a long time and has even swapped jerseys while meeting some of the club’s biggest legends over the years.

When Max Verstappen met FC Barcelona legend ahead of Spanish GP

Ahead of the Spanish GP at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona last season, Verstappen met one of the heroes of his favorite soccer team. Sergi Roberto, who has more than 350 appearances for FC Barcelona’s first team, was in attendance at the circuit.

There, he met the defending Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen and swapped jerseys with him. Roberto gave a Barcelona jersey to the Red Bull driver. It had his surname on the back with the number 1- which is what he uses on his car.

FC Barcelona’s comeback year in the Spanish La Liga

FC Barcelona have been in a downward slump over the last few years. Ever since their talisman Lionel Messi left them in 2021 for Paris Saint German, the team has struggled to cope with the 35-time Spanish champions Real Madrid.

The Catalans struggled domestically in the league, while also suffering embarassing defeats to various clubs in the European competitions. However, club legend Xavi seems to have steered the ship steady for the time being. After a 4-2 win over rivals Espanyol last week, Barcelona were crowned as Champions of Spain.

Verstappen, who will surely be following his favorite team’s success off the track, is also gearing up for yet another title charge. The 25-year-old is currently P5 in the driver’s standings after five rounds, 14 points ahead of his teammate Sergio Perez.

About the author

Somin Bhattacharjee

Somin Bhattacharjee

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Formula 1 Editor Somin Bhattacharjee fell for the sport as well as Fernando Alonso on the same day — during the Spaniard’s thrilling victory at the German GP in 2010. Over the years, the passion magnified manyfold, and metamorphosed into a writing career in 2021. Though holding a bachelor's degree in marketing, Somin discovered his true calling in writing. He has penned over 2,700 articles for TheSportsRush, presenting a diverse range — news reports, opinions, and exclusives. A true Tiffosi, Somin never gives up on a chance to defend the Ferrari boys as a fan. As a sports writer though, he remains objective to the core and relishes opportunities to follow and engage in dissecting the action during races. That’s where the real thrill lies for him. Beyond the racetrack, Somin plays different sports including soccer. He enjoys exploring other sporting events and proudly supports Spanish soccer club Real Madrid.

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