South Korean football fans were treated to one of the most unique football matches ever witnessed as a host of football legends descended on the Seoul World Cup Stadium on Sunday.
The Nexon Icons Match pitted some of the best offensive players of all time against some of the game’s best defensive talents to see who would come out on top.
The defending team, led by Fabio Cannavaro, was aptly named Shield FC and consisted of Rio Ferdinand, Carlos Puyol, Nemanja Vidic, Andrea Pirlo, Javier Mascherano, Clarence Seedorf, Leonardo Bonucci, Edwin Van der Sar, Ricardo Carvalho, John Arne Riise, Adilson and Yaya Toure.
FC Spear, meanwhile, was player-coached by Thierry Henry and consisted of Kaka, Didier Drogba, Eden Hazard, Dimitar Berbatov, Carlos Tevez, Luis Figo, Michael Owen, Andriy Shevchenko, Marouane Fellaini, Alessandro Del Piero, Diego Forlan and Rivaldo.
This obviously made for interesting viewing when it came to the lineups, with one team having no recognized defenders and the other no away and forwards.
L-R: Ballon d’Or winners Rivaldo, Michael Owen, Luis Figo, Fabio Cannavaro, Kaka and Andriy Shevchenko took part in the practice match in South Korea
Alessandro Del Piero shared this locker room selfie with his Spear teammates
Henry started himself as a wing-back for FC Spear in a 4-3-3 with strikers Berbatov, Drogba and Tevez completing the back four.
Shield’s 3-4-3 formation consisted of a front three of Toure, Riise and Seedorf with Mascherano, Pirlo, Bonucci and Puyol in midfield.
Somewhat surprisingly, it was the team of defensive stars who had more impact going forward, with Toure and Seedorf making it 2-0 in the opening 18 minutes.
A crowd of 62,000 watched on as Shield FC sat back and comfortably dealt with FC Spear’s threat for the remainder of the first half.
There was also a funny moment when former Spurs full-back Lee Young-pyo showed why Michael Owen wasn’t a defender when he sent the former Newcastle and Liverpool man tumbling down with a series of step-overs.
Shield increased their lead through Park Joo-ho after the break, with Mascherano making it 4-0 before a late consolation from South Korean legend Park Ji-sung.
Those attending the event clearly enjoyed their time in South Korea, especially the five Man United legends involved.
Ferdinand shared a photo of himself with Vidic, Van der Sar, Berbatov and Park Ji-sung wearing traditional South Korean robes, writing: ‘when Ji takes us shopping in Seoul. Ps @patrice.evra swipe…we have one for you too.”
After the match, Seedorf said: “First of all, this was the most heartwarming feeling we could express,” he said at the post-match press conference. ‘Of course we enjoyed it. When we played together with all the fans. It was fun. All in all it was a great experience.
“We enjoyed being together, just a lot [jet lag] during dinner and lunch, and I must say I enjoyed the local music this morning. [We] played local instruments, we tasted Korean food. It’s always nice to be somewhat connected to the local culture. In addition to being together, we also really enjoyed that.’
Berbatov added: “First of all, I would like to thank everyone for their welcome over the past two days,” Berbatov said. ‘Everything was great and hospitality. And the people around us and everyone who makes this like home. And of course now we have fun playing, seeing old friends, trying to show what we can do.
‘And of course I think that defenders, who win, deserved to win. In the end it was entertaining and I hope everyone enjoyed it. It’s always great to see old faces, old friends, people you’ve played against, but when you step on the field you want to win, it’s a competition.”
