How B/R Met Seedorf, Morientes, Belletti and Garcia at the Maracana

On any given day on the beaches of Rio de Janeiro, one may see locals catching some rays in barely-there swimwear, opportunistic vendors trying to sell tourists guarana drinks and plenty of folks engrossed in highly competitive games of volleyball or beach soccer. 

It is quite unusual, however, to see two Champions League legends carefully building a sandcastle version of the Maracana...

As he dusted the sand from his knees, I asked former Liverpool star Luis Garcia the last time he built sandcastles. "Last summer with my kids," he replies. "But ours looked a lot more like Winterfell from Game of Thrones."

Garcia extolled the virtues of sand architecture along with his former Liverpool teammate Fernando Morientes. After the fun by the sea on the idyllic Flamengo Beach, we all jump in a car heading towards the real-life version of the legendary stadium they had been sculpting.

Bleacher Report was invited to Rio by Heineken to attend their latest #ChampionTheMatch event. In addition to going behind-the-scenes of some beach-based promotional material, we spoke with a slew of Champions League winners before they watched the latest iteration of the Madrid derby on the big screens of the Maracana.

Heineken

Joining Garcia and Morientes was Juliano Belletti (the man who scored Barcelona's winner in the 2006 Champions League final) and Clarence Seedorf, a phenom often described as the most successful player in Champions League history, thanks to his four wins. 

Seedorf is a commanding presence, who effortlessly switched between English, Spanish and Portuguese as he chatted with a small group of invited media. Watching the Dutchman is almost as compelling as the game being played out on the Maracana's big screens: He frequently jokes with his fellow players and occasionally shows a glimpse of his stunning close control when a ball comes his way.

In conversation with B/R, the former Real Madrid superstar discussed his time with Ajax under Louis van Gaal, his standout European Cup moments and the goal that once earned him 250 bottles of wine. Read the full interview here.  

Seedorf's enthusiasm is only matched by that of Luis Garcia. The Spanish star, who played a part of Liverpool's famous 2005 Champions League victory, simply does not stop smiling while at the #ChampionTheMatch event. Perhaps it is the sandcastles, perhaps it is the familiar thrill of walking on hallowed turf where legends have been made, but the former Atletico Madrid man makes for delightful company.

Throughout the day, Garcia opened up to B/R about his experiences that night in Istanbul, his relationship with Liverpool's fans and his chances of returning to the club in some capacity. Read the interview here.  

Garcia was a cult hero on The Kop, a status that Juliano Belletti enjoyed among the Shed End faithful. As we chatted a few minutes before Atletico Madrid's goalless draw with La Real, the Brazilian revealed that his years with Chelsea were the best of his career. The 38-year-old discussed the feeling of heartache at the 2008 Champions League final, life under Big Phil Scolari and the first time he ever saw snow during our interview. 

As the action of the Madrid derby unfolded on the screens at the Maracana, no one was more engrossed than Fernando Morientes, who helped deliver Real's first European Cup in 32 years in his first season at the club, before winning it twice more in a white shirt. 

It is clear that Morientes' natural home is in front of goal. Before the Champions League action kicks off, the Spaniard takes every possible opportunity to get a ball at his feet, taking regular shots into the goal in which Mario Gotze scored the World Cup winner less than a year ago. He also demonstrated his deadly accuracy by knocking the lid off a bottle of Heieneken in Garcia's hand from around 40 yards...

During our interview, Morientes reminisced about his time at the Bernabeu while also giving his perspective on the club's current personnel. Read it here. 

B/R spoke with Morientes, Seedorf, Belletti and Garcia at Heineken’s UEFA Champions League #ChampionTheMatch event. Follow #ChampionTheMatch with @Heineken on Twitter and Facebook during every UEFA Champions League match week. Join Heineken for Barcelona vs. PSG and #ChampionTheMatch with Geremi Njitap.

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