Ed Note: The following appears courtesy Bloguin’s international soccer vertical 32 Flags.
Ray Hudson is one of the most charismatic, passionate and brilliant voices of beIN Sports. Hudson primarily commentates on La Liga games as well as some Serie A and Ligue 1 games. This is quite the departure for a soon to be 60 year old from northern England but Hudson wouldn’t have it any other way. A long time fan of the Spanish style of play that teams like Barcelona and Real Madrid employ, it is shocking to hear that Hudson has never been to Barcelona to experience one of the greatest club games in the world, El Clasico. Hudson may have called dozens of El Clasico’s in his commentating career, but he calls those games with his broadcasting partner Phil Schoen in a warehouse near Miami, Florida.
For this edition of El Clasico, beIN is going to broadcast the game live on Sunday starting at 3:50 PM ET with Hudson and Schoen commentating at Camp Nou. It will be Hudson’s first time in Barcelona and he wasted no time enjoying the sights of Barcelona. This week, Hudson has gone around Barcelona for beIN Sports as part of “Ray Hudson’s Magisterial Adventure” and he could not be happier.
Hudson arrived on Tuesday and gave his first impressions of being in Spain.
Next, he went around Barcelona and told us about the city as well as the Canaletas, fountains where Barcelona fans congregate after wins and celebrate their triumphs.
The next day, Hudson went to the La Sagrada Familia basilica designed by Antoni Gaudí, where it is famous for beginning construction in 1882 and hasn’t been completed yet. It is expected to be finished in 2026.
Thursday, Hudson finally arrived at the piece de resistance, Camp Nou. The video in the link showed Hudson as he toured the stadium and finally fulfilled a lifelong dream. He tried to describe the beauty of Camp Nou and felt incredibly honored when he heard his voice during the Barcelona tribute video at the stadium. Schoen is heading to Barcelona and he and Hudson will remain there through the weekend and call El Clasico on Sunday afternoon.
To me, Ray Hudson is a football romantic and is everything that’s good about soccer. He isn’t every soccer fans cup of tea when it comes to a soccer commentator, but no one can deny the genuine passion Hudson brings to this game. Hudson’s commentary isn’t an act and he wears his heart on his sleeve every minute while on the mic. His trip to Barcelona for the first time this week encapsulates how Ray Hudson feels about this game. The emotion he displays as well as his passion and spirit, Ray Hudson truly makes “the beautiful game” beautiful.
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