Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant is a huge soccer fan. While growing up in Italy, Bryant became a fan of the sport and that fandom has stayed strong even after moving to Philadelphia as a teenager. As a die hard fan of the sport, and of European super team, FC Barcelona, the five-time NBA champion never misses an opportunity to watch Barca playing in Los Angeles.
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On Monday, Bryant watched soccer superstar Andres Iniesta and Barca practice in Los Angeles, via FC Barcelona’s Vine account:
Bryant also swapped jerseys with Iniesta and Barcelona, via TWCSportsNet:
.@kobebryant spent time with one of his favorite soccer clubs today & traded his #Lakers armor for @FCBarcelona gear. pic.twitter.com/eT1NoS4YdV
— TWC SportsNet (@TWCSportsNet) July 20, 2015
Along with taking in soccer games and training sessions when Barcelona is playing in the United States or when the Lakers star is overseas, Bryant has a history with the team and star forward Lionel Messi. Although Messi wasn’t around for the practice session in Los Angeles, Bryant knows him well and actually stared in a popular Turkish airlines commercial with Messi.
FC Barcelona is currently in town as a part of their U.S. tour. Barcelona will face the Los Angeles Galaxy on Tues. July 21 in an international friendly at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. Even without Messi and Neymar, the showdown between these two teams is sold out and expected to draw more than 90,000 people on Tuesday night.
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