Madonna says she still has Celta Vigo jersey club searched for

MADRID

Madonna has responded to a Spanish soccer club’s search for a jersey she wore during a concert more than three decades ago, revealing that the long-sought shirt is still in her possession.

Spanish club Celta Vigo had launched a public appeal earlier this week asking the pop icon if she still had the baby-blue-and-white team jersey she wore during a 1990 concert at its Balaidos Stadium as part of her Blonde Ambition tour.

Madonna appeared on stage in the club’s colors in July 1990, wearing defender Jose Manuel Espinosa’s No. 5 shirt, delighting local fans and unexpectedly bringing attention to the player. The image of the singer performing in the jersey became a memorable moment for the club and its supporters.

However, the whereabouts of the shirt had remained unknown for decades. Hoping to locate the garment for the club’s historical archive, Celta Vigo published an open letter addressed to the singer, asking whether she still had it or could help the club retrieve it.

Club president Marián Mouriño Terrazo wrote that the photograph of Madonna wearing the jersey had become increasingly iconic over time. In the letter, he said the singer symbolized “questioning established norms and standing up to those who try to tell you what you can or cannot do,” adding that the club identified with that spirit and hoped to find the shirt she once wore.

The appeal quickly attracted attention on social media. In an effort to amplify the message, the club leaned into the tribute ahead of its home league match against Real Madrid, playing Madonna’s songs before kickoff and sharing images of the singer on the field and online.

Madonna answered the call on March 7 in a post on X, confirming that the jersey had not been lost after all.

“This shirt is hanging in my archives! I am wearing and representing your team in spirit!” she wrote.

The singer’s response came after the club shared a video showing a choir of women singers performing a musical rendition of Madonna’s 1989 hit “Like a Prayer” on the field of Balaidos Stadium before Friday’s game against Real Madrid.