Famed chef Ferrán Adrià reveals he turned down Real Madrid’s Bernabéu offer: ‘Barca are sacred’

World-renowned chef Ferrán Adrià has revealed that his footballing loyalties ultimately left him with little choice but to reject a no doubt tempting recent offer from La Liga giants Real Madrid.

The name of chef Adrià is recognised by food lovers and culinary experts the world over.

This comes with the Spaniard having previously acted as the head chef of the El Bulli restaurant in Roses on the Costa Brava.

El Bulli boasts the record as the only establishment to have ever placed no.1 on the list of the world’s best restaurants on five separate occasions.

Safe to say, then, that where Adrià goes, the crowds will follow.

In turn, it should not come much of a surprise to hear that the aforementioned Real Madrid recently made contact with the chef extraordinaire, over a potential collaboration.

The initiative in question came as part of the Bernabéu project, which will see Real’s home ground transformed into one of the globe’s best upon completion.

Adrià was therefore offered the opportunity to get involved, by opening his own restaurant in the stadium.

Speaking recently, however, the 61-year-old revealed that he ultimately came to the decision to turn the capital giants down.

This comes with Adrià hailing from Catalunya and, as a result, a devout lifelong Barcelona fan:

“I turned down an offer from Real Madrid to open a restaurant in the new Santiago Bernabéu to follow my principles,” he explained to RAC1, as cited by AS. “Barça and football are sacred, I am a Barcelona fan.”

Conor Laird | GSFN