ESPN’s renowned Spanish language commentator Fernando Palomo brings the passion in his electrifying goal calls — and he’ll be in the booth Sunday, Oct. 26 at 11:15 a.m. ET for the season’s first Real Madrid-FC Barcelona LALIGA ElClásico on ESPN+ and ESPN Deportes.
In the video below, Palomo recounts his breathtaking call of FC Barcelona Lamine Yamal’s goal during the last LALIGA ElClásico in May, a 4-3 come-from-behind Barca home win over Real Madrid.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Sunday’s ElClásico English commentary with Ian Darke and Steve McManaman will be on ESPN2 and ESPN+
What does your prematch ritual look like when you are calling a match like ElClásico from Madrid?
I like to arrive early as possible so I can walk around pitch. We generally have a long pregame show, so I’ll be at the studio position early. Preparing for the game is something that’s done even before I get on the plane. If there is one thing that I want to carry with me other than my clothes and personal stuff is the printout of my game notes.
How do you prepare your voice for call a match for two hours?
At the Champions League final in 2019, I got what it is called the “perfect storm” — allergies and a bad cold. I ended up losing my voice. I found a vocal cord therapist and started doing remote sessions to warm up my voice.
One thing I learned over time is that what you eat affects the quality of your voice. I can’t do anything in life without coffee so I just try to go easy on it on game days. All I think about is going out and enjoying it and truly appreciate what a fantastic position I’m put in every weekend.
Spencer T. Jackson produced the video above
