On April 15, 2020, El Partidazo and El Transistor merged their broadcasts into a single program. And it was a historic night, as we had predicted at Postposmo. COPE and Onda Cero joined forces to fight the coronavirus with a spectacular crossover between two of the flagship sports programs on the national scene, hosted by Juanma Castaño and José Ramón de la Morena. Only one was missing: the ratings leader, El Larguero , led by Manu Carreño, declined to join the celebration.
Below you can listen to the full joint broadcast of El Partidazo and El Transistor:
Chronicle of the historic broadcast of El Partidazo and El Transistor
After the brilliant theme music created for the occasion, the presenters' voices were the first we heard, but soon Rafa Nadal (who was once again phenomenal) and Pau Gasol became the true stars of the night. Perhaps the two greatest athletes our country has ever had together on the radio, just as had been predicted on other Spanish sports programs. Two great friends who, together with the Spanish Red Cross, are leading the #OurGreatestVictory initiative , which quickly became a trending topic in Spain.
Rafa Nadal sponsored the participation of the current world number one tennis player, Novak Djokovic of Serbia , who, with his usual charm and ease, added a touch of the exotic to the evening, speaking Spanish far more fluently than expected. Meanwhile, Joserra and Juanma battled their egos, trying to keep them in check but without letting the other's ego completely dominate. Undoubtedly, a difficult task for two leading broadcasters like them, and one we, as listeners, should also be grateful for.
Another star of the evening was our most decorated Formula 1 driver: Fernando Alonso , with his Italian girlfriend. He is very aware of the situation in our neighboring country due to the coronavirus crisis and therefore showed particular concern. He has also participated in similar events on other occasions.
The Asturian, who also collaborates with UNICEF, readily joined the Red Cross initiative. Furthermore, he addressed the recent controversy with Vicente del Bosque , stating that he did not feel targeted by the former national team coach's remarks that "some people complain when things have been done wrong, but then they're paid into foreign pension funds."
Continuing with the motorsports theme, the program shifted to the Sainz residence. Carlos Sainz and Carlos Sainz Jr. met with Fernando Alonso to settle outstanding bets and discuss how to match Rafa Nadal for a future tennis game.
Sergio Busquets was the first football star of the night and, although his participation didn't have much weight in the evening, he didn't leave without taking a good jab at Iker Casillas : "It's surprising that Iker, a person who finds it so difficult to help financially, wants to contribute and it's quite commendable that you've managed to do so."
Iker Casillas, a candidate for the presidency of the Spanish Football Federation , declined to answer De La Morena and Castaño's questions on the matter and dodged more questions than ever before. The captain of what many consider the best Spanish national football team in history expressed particular concern about the coronavirus , as he himself is currently at high risk due to the acute myocardial infarction he suffered a year ago . He urged everyone to stay home, as he is doing, patiently caring for his two young sons, Martín and Lucas, with Sara Carbonero.
Olympic medalists Ona Carbonell and Carolina Marín were the last athletes to join the party. Ona Carbonell, recent winner of Masterchef Celebrity , told us how she's spending the lockdown now that she's pregnant and, despite the two presenters' insistence, she didn't want to reveal the baby's gender live on air.
The musical touch of the night was given by the Malaga-born singer Vanesa Martín, who performed her song 'Because we want to see each other' live.
The squires of Castaño and De La Morena make their entrance in the broadcast of El Partidazo and El Transistor
Once all the main figures had appeared on the show, the moment most anticipated by true sports journalism fans arrived. Castaño and De La Morena each chose their three sidekicks. The COPE host selected Manolo Lama, Paco González, and Tomás Guasch . Meanwhile, the Onda Cero host opted for Carlos Bustillo, Roberto Gómez, and Edu Pidal . With all these formidable opponents in the ring (Joserra style), the free-for-all began.
Roberto Gómez was the first to take a shot at Tomás Guasch, stating that when he was a child he already read the Catalan journalist in Mundo Deportivo, and Guasch replied that he is the only human being to whom Roberto Gómez has ever bought a Coca-Cola.
This was followed by endless battles and jokes that delighted all those listeners who are already combing gray hair and who nostalgically remember an unrepeatable radio era (or not, seen what was seen tonight).
And just as the program reached its peak, hitting third place on the Trending Topics list in Spain, the RISA Group made their appearance . Social media had been buzzing for days, speculating about a possible encounter between José Ramón de la Morena and Roberto Gómez with their alter egos, and it finally happened, much to everyone's delight. The other Alcalá also reunited with Joserra after that legendary argument about the Information Theory course . Without a doubt, the funniest moment of the evening.
Amidst this revelry, the crossover event came to an end. José Ramón, who usually closes at one in the morning and was already ten minutes late, suddenly felt rushed and, still in his bathrobe, said goodbye to everyone, giving special thanks to Rafa Nadal and Pau Gasol, who were the driving force behind the initiative.
And we were left with a smile on our faces, aware that we had just witnessed a historic milestone on Spanish radio. It is true and sad at the same time that, in moments as tragic as what we are living through, the best of each one comes out and it cannot be denied that initiatives like this are a real injection of morale and optimism. A lot of strength for everyone.
Here's the mashup of "El Partidazo en El Transistor" #OurGreatestVictory @partidazocope @ElTransistorOC pic.twitter.com/0nSHyfMm0A
— Grupo Risa (@GrupoRisaCOPE) April 15, 2020