Three days before the World Cup final between Spain and Argentina, then won by the Spanish national team, some of the most famous players of the last thirty years met in New York for a dinner organized by FIFA and Big Art Festival. The gala was held on July 16 in Capital, Lower Manhattan, and ended with a 50 Cent concert. According to the organizers more than 300 people participated.
For the Italian public the main name was Roberto Baggio, but with him there were Cafu, Roberto Carlos, Marcelo, Fernando Hierro, Hristo Stoichkov, Lukas Podolski, René Higuita, Esteban Cambiasso, Mario Kempes, Marcel Desailly and other former players. FIFA president Gianni Infantino, Israeli coach Avram Grant, entrepreneur Leonard Blavatnik and Caroline Scheufele, co-chairman and artistic director of Chopard.
Capital occupies the spaces of the former Bowery Savings Bank, built between 1893 and 1895 by Stanford White, one of the most important architects of the late 19th century New York. The building, at 130 Bowery, conserves the Corinthian columns, marble mosaic floors and the ceiling almost twenty meters high of the old banking room. Since 2002 it has been used mainly for weddings, business dinners and private events and can accommodate up to 1,500 people, although the main hall accommodates about 500 for a dinner with assigned places. The Capital site reconstructs its history and features.
Access to the gala passed from a reservation and had very high costs. On the Big Art Festival website, tickets ranged from $1,500 in the Gold category to 3,750 in the Royal, while the price of VIP tables was communicated only on request. The figure included dinner, drinks and entertainment. The program began at eight in the evening and continued until 1:00, with an afterparty after the official part.
On stage Infantino and Maxim Berin, founder of Big Art Festival and CEO of the Berin Iglesias Art event company, were interviewed by American conductor Emily Austin. They talked about the World Championship and the reports that FIFA is trying to build with companies, brands and event organizers. During the evening Chopard presented two selections of high jewellery along with the clothes of the Caroline’s Couture line. DAZN, indicated as a partner media, recorded interviews with Infantino and former players.
Before the final concert, singer Carolina Rial and saxophonist Max Merseny performed. 50 Cent climbed on stage in the final part of the evening, turning the dinner into a small private concert. The organizers did not spread the scale, but in the images published after the event the rapper appears in front of the tables set up in the old bank room.
It is the second consecutive year in which FIFA collaborates with Big Art Festival in New York. The first dinner was held on July 10, 2025 at Casa Cipriani, Wall Street, during the World Club. Even in that case, thousands of dollars had been sold and the evening ended with a concert, entrusted to Rita Ora. FIFA had confirmed its involvement by specifying that it would not receive revenue from the event. The collaboration was also presented on the FIFA website.
The next Big Art Festival will be on August 9 at Romazzino, hotel Belmond in Porto Cervo, with a concert by Robbie Williams. Also there the formula will be that of the dinner with show and reserved tables: the prices published by the organizers range from 3.500 to 7.000 euros per person.
L’articolo Roberto Baggio and 50 Cent in the same room proviene da IlNewyorkese.