Barcelona to honor Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballé with a statue

Barcelona will pay tribute to singers Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballé with a new statue.

The monument dedicated to the two iconic voices behind the 1992 Olympic Games anthem will be installed in the recently renovated Glòries Park.

The announcement was made on Thursday by Barcelona mayor Jaume Collboni during a Catalunya Ràdio podcast marking the 50th anniversary of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody."

Using the occasion, Collboni said the city would revive an initiative first proposed in 2018, when he suggested naming two adjoining streets after Mercury and Caballé.

The mayor noted that the city has a "pending debt" with the artists, "for everything they meant to Olympic Barcelona, with music that inspired an entire generation."

How 'Barcelona' was born

Mercury and Caballé wrote and recorded 'Barcelona,' the song that became a defining anthem of the 1992 Olympic Games and a symbol of the city.

Their collaboration began in 1983, when Mercury became a fan of Caballé after hearing her perform at London’s Royal Opera House.

A few years later, Mercury traveled to Barcelona and met the soprano at the Ritz Hotel, where they decided to create a song together.

With the Olympic Games already awarded to Barcelona, and Caballé set to compose a piece for the event, Mercury joined the project, blending rock and opera in a way that captivated the world.

The pair performed 'Barcelona' live in 1988 at the Magic Fountain of Montjuïc, after the song had been chosen as the official anthem of the Games.

Although Mercury passed away eight months before the 1992 opening ceremony and the song was not performed that night, 'Barcelona' was played throughout the Games.