Getting a commitment from Real Madrid and FC Barcelona to play a soccer exhibition at Hard Rock Stadium on July 29 took execs from the Dolphins and both La Liga clubs "three days of negotiations in early December," according to Hal Habib of the PALM BEACH POST. Dolphins Owner Stephen Ross and his associates "first received a tentative blessing from Real Madrid, then flew to Barcelona, but there was one catch: Both teams told Ross 'we’ll let you know' after their Dec. 3 clash in Barcelona." Ross took that to mean if either team "suffered a demoralizing defeat, the deal was off." Ross was "rescued when Real Madrid’s Sergio Ramos scored in the 90th minute to secure a 1-1 draw." Ross said, "This is like winning a Super Bowl bid." Ross "hopes this won’t be the only time Barcelona and Real Madrid meet in Miami." The game will "mark only the second meeting outside of Spain" for the matchup featuring the rivals. The "only previous meeting outside of Spain was in Venezuela" in '82. Because the preseason match "won’t count in Spain’s La Liga standings, Ross and his associates sought an assurance the teams would field representative sides" -- namely Real Madrid MF Cristiano Ronaldo and FC Barcelona F Lionel Messi. The matchup will be carried on ESPN and ESPN Deportes at 7:30pm ET (PALM BEACH POST, 3/11).
