Ban Ki-moon takes #MDGMomentum to Stade Bernabeu

It doesn't matter which team you support — Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon took to the pitch in Madrid on Saturday to call on everyone to support unprecedented efforts to meet the needs of the world's poorest.

He performed the ceremonial "kick off" before a game between Read Madrid and Levante as part of series of events highligting a vital moment in history's largest and most successful anti-poverty push.

More photos and videos.

Wearing a UN shirt with the number 1,000 on the back, he drew attention to the 1,000-day mark before the target date to achieve the eight Millennium Development Goals – which range from halving extreme poverty to halting the spread of HIV/AIDS and providing universal primary education, all by the target date of 2015 - Read more.

In an interview, he said, "I've watched Real Madrid matches for years and its one of the best teams in the world. I particularly like Casillas [pictured here] , who is a good United Nations ambassador for the Millennium Development Goals." Read more.

Related information:

• Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
• Re-cap of the #MDGMomentum Twitter rally featuring inspiring stories of global development in action
• UN News Centre: 1,000 days and counting: UN calls for accelerated action on the Millennium Development Goals