Who will win if they form a team of 11 strikers and 11 defenders.
A special match was held to find this answer 'never existed'. It was the '2024 Nexon Icon Match' held at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 20th. The Icon Match is an event hosted by Nexon's soccer games 'FC Online' and 'FC Mobile' and is an event match in which legendary soccer players gather in one place to play unique games. Following a one-on-one match, a power match, and a shooting match on the 19th, the main game was held on the 20th.
The legends literally gathered together. Rio Ferdinand even said "Has there ever been so many world-class players gathered together?" There were six Ballon d'Or winners given to the best player in the world. FC Spear (striker team) led by coach Thierry Henry and coach Park Ji-sung included Kaka, Luis Figo, Andriy Shevchenko, Michael Owen, Rivaldo, Didier Drogba, Eden Hazard and Carlos Teves. Ahn Jung-hwan, Lee Chun-soo, Kim Byung-ji, and Kim Yong-dae also joined.
F.C. Shield (defensive team), which includes coach Fabio Cannavaro and coach Lee Young-pyo, included Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, Carles Puyol, Andrea Pirlo, Javier Mascherano, Yaya Toure and Edwin van de Sarr. As domestic players, Kim Nam-il, Park Joo-ho, Lim Min-hyuk, and FC Seoul legend Adi helped.
Soccer fans were shaken by the news of a large number of superstars joining. After 16,000 pre-sale tickets for FC online event participants were sold out in 10 minutes, 48,000 tickets were also sold out in an hour on the 27th. The Seoul World Cup Stadium was full of fans wearing classic replica cars to recall past superstars. As many as 64,210 people filled the stadium.
In terms of name value, FC Spear, which is full of stars who have won five Ballon d'Or, seemed to have an advantage, but the actual atmosphere was different. Coach Henri, who was at a press conference before the game, said "If you're serious, you usually play these games in training. In that case, the defense team usually wins." Park Ji-sung also said, `Even when I was a player, the offensive team never beat the defensive team. The defense team will win 100%."
Since the team was formed only with strikers and defenders, it was different from the best 11. The F.C. Spear team's four-back was Henri-Dimitar Berbatov-Drogba-Teves. All of them have been top scorers in the English Premier League. Prior to these, Hazard-Alexander del Piero-Pigu made a three-top. Kim Byung-ji defended the goal. On the other hand, FC Shield's three-top was made up of Toure-Clarence Seidorf-Jon Arneryse. Toure is a player who has scored double digits. On the other hand, the three-back was set up as Ferdinand-Vidic-Cannabar, literally an iron three-back.
The winner was FC Shield, a contradictory match between the spear and the shield that began when Cha Bum-keun came out with the championship trophy. It was a 4-1 complete victory. FC Spear occupied and tapped the ball based on spectacular play, but there was no substance. FC Shield, on the other hand, was solid. Based on the stable play, one or two players quickly counterattacked and finished. In the legends' play, they also showed their heyday at every moment, but they had no choice but to realize the weight of time soon. His legs twisted in a good chance, and the moment he had to jump in, he didn't become a sprint. The shooting was not properly impactful. Toure had to be replaced because of an early hamstring problem. However, the fans responded with generous applause and cheers.
FC Shield decided the match with Toure's first goal in the 13th minute of the first half and Seidorf's long-range goal in the 20th minute. In the 9th minute of the second half, Park Joo-ho, who received Seidorf's pass, scored a net goal. In the 35th minute, Mascherano added another goal. Seidorf was at his best, involved in all the scoring with one goal-three help. Numerous superstars walked on the ground, but the loudest shout of the day was the moment when Park Ji-sung was deployed. In the 40th minute of the second half, Park Ji-sung scored a penalty as soon as he was put in.
Seidorf, speaking at the post-match press conference, thanked everyone for creating this event. A lot of people came to see us. Thank you for feeling warm love. It was fun and meaningful to play with my old teammates after a long time. We enjoyed more than the strikers. It was a happy two days," he said. Berbatov, who was present with him, was also very welcome. Since it was warm, I was able to have an event like home. The defense team deserved to win. I felt how difficult defense was in soccer. I played a good game with my old teammates for the first time in a long time. Thank you to everyone who came and hope to see you again."
Berbatov then said "Both players were teammates and opponents. We met for the first time in a long time and exchanged many jokes. Friends, I met my seniors and juniors and had a good time. It was a competition on the field. I wanted to do well. But the defense team won. I can't reveal what kind of conversation we had, but it was a fun time. It was two days that made me look forward to the next one" he said. Seidorf was also "so happy. I was happy to meet my old colleague. There was a moment when I enjoyed Korean traditional music and experienced Korean food. It was meaningful. It is meaningful to experience culture every time I go to the country. It was fun to experience Korean culture" he said.
vanbasten@sportschosun.com
