Rohit Sharma arrives in Madrid to witness El Clasico clash

Ahead of the El Clasico match between Real Madrid and Barcelona, India opener Rohit Sharma on Saturday arrived here to witness the clash.

In December last year, Rohit became the first-ever non-footballer brand ambassador appointed by the La Liga globally and is the face of the league in India.

Taking to Twitter Rohit wrote: "So good to be in beautiful Madrid for #ElClasico can't wait for the game tomorrow @LaLigaEN."

The 32-year-old opening batsman had expressed his desire to watch an El Clasico match between the two best clubs in the world in December 2019.

"I have seen it so many times on television. There is so much passion just watching it. I can't even imagine how it is at the stadium so many people sitting and watching El Clasico game between the two best clubs in the world. It is one of the most competitive leagues in the world. La Liga brings out so much skills and passion that when you are watching it from home itself you feel like you are at the stadium," Rohit had said after becoming the La Liga brand ambassador.

The El Clasico will be played at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium on March 2.

Earlier in the day, Spanish football league La Liga's president Javier Tebas confirmed that El Clasico is not under threat amid the coronavirus outbreak.

There has been speculation around the match as to date, 32 cases of coronavirus have emerged in Spain.

"We haven't considered the possibility of postponing the Clasico or any other games, but as of Sunday evening we have opened a coronavirus commission within LaLiga to monitor the situation," Goal.com had quoted Tebas as saying.

According to the latest data, at least 2,835 people have lost their lives in China alone and more than 84,500 people are infected with the virus worldwide.

First detected in China's Wuhan city, the novel coronavirus or COVID-19 has spread to more than 45 other countries including India, the US, UK, Singapore, Japan, Italy, France, Russia, and Spain.

Italy is believed to be the most affected European country due to the virus and there are many northern towns that have been put on lockdown in the country.

As a result, many sporting events have been cancelled in the country. Serie A matches scheduled for this week have been rescheduled to May 13.