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Icons Match Day 1 event features skills, thrills and ludicrous star power

Published: 13 Sep. 2025, 22:18 Updated: 16 Sep. 2025, 21:02

Thomas McCarthy
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Seoul World Cup Stadium in Mapo District, western Seoul, is decked out for the Icons Match hosted by Nexon on Sept. 13. [THOMAS MCCARTHY]

Back by wildly popular demand, game publisher Nexon bat-signaled footballing legends — and some local boys — to return to Seoul for the second edition of the Icons Match on Sunday, pitting a team of attacking players, FC Spear, against a defensive side, Shield United. The likes of Thierry Henry, Ronaldinho, Didier Drogba, Clarence Seedorf, Kaka, and Wayne Rooney would lead Spear against a Shield side of Rio Ferdinand, John Arne Riise, Alessandro Nesta, Gilberto Silva and Claude Makélélé in Seoul World Cup Stadium for the ultimate showdown of some of the very biggest names in 21st-century football.

The grounds around Soul World Cup Stadium in Mapo District, western Seoul, are absolutely buzzing ahead of the Icons Match-eve event on Sept. 13. [THOMAS MCCARTHY]

But first, on Saturday, there was the most overblown pregame show ever. Even the Super Bowl halftime show couldn’t come close to this one, because the stars of this spectacle were the same ones who won the biggest trophies in global football. Among the two 16-man squads were 37 Champions League medals, 10 FIFA World Cup medals and five Euros medals. Not to mention that the managers, Arsène Wenger and Rafael Benitez, have one Champions League medal between them.

While not technically at halftime of the main event, the roster of activities resembled a supercharged footballing version of NHL intermissions or college basketball breaks: some 1-on-1, 2-on-2 and 3-on-3 challenges, a first-touch challenge, a shooting challenge, and, of course, a free-kick challenge. The event would offer some insight ahead of the proper head-to-head the following day, with the player videos before the non-kickoff conveying a keen sense of competitiveness for many who went up against each other on numerous — and often hostile — occasions on the biggest stages of the sport.

Fans sit in front of their favorite legend's jersey outside Seoul World Cup Stadium in Mapo District, western Seoul, on Sept. 13. [THOMAS MCCARTHY]

The grounds around the stadium in Mapo District, western Seoul, were bustling with fans eager to get a snap of themselves seated next to their favorite icon’s Icons Match kit. The queue to get into the official fan shop snaked nearly the length of a pitch.

A classic Robert Pires shirt at the Icons Match in western Seoul on Sept. 13 [THOMAS MCCARTHY]

Inside, spectators started to trickle in decked out in an eclectic assortment of kits, with some busting out classic bangers like Invincible-era Arsenal, a surprising amount with Robert Pires on the back, considering he was Tottenham Hotspur’s biggest nemesis back in his North London derby days, always seeming to score. In classic Korean style, quite a few couples were sporting the jerseys of rival clubs, something literally prohibited in European stadiums, where the wrong strip at a derby can result in a physical assault.

After the perfunctory hype-up, the players emerged from the tunnel one by one, with each player getting more or less the same raucous reception, except for Henry, Ronaldinho, Steven Gerrard and Carles Puyol, who received exceptionally enthusiastic welcomes. The roof just about blew off when Park Ji-sung stepped out. The comparatively subdued welcome for Makélélé, whose influence on the modern defensive midfield role is impossible to overstate — he was, after all, the only player out there to have a position named after him — perhaps reflected the relatively young nature of football culture in Korea.

The legends line up to greet the fans at Seoul World Cup Stadium in western Seoul on Sept. 13. [THOMAS MCCARTHY]

After the pleasantries were dispatched with, two nets were brought out at either end of a mini-field about the size of a basketball court in the center of the pitch. The first challenge was a series of 1-on-1, 2-on-2 and 3-on-3 scrimmages with two World Cup winners between the posts: Gianluigi Buffon in goal for Spear and Iker Casillas in goal for Shield.

The first head-to-head was Kaka versus Maicon, followed by Seol Ki-hyeon versus 2002 World Cup teammate Lee Young-pyo, then Eden Hazard against Ashley Cole.

Kaka scored literally right off the kick-off, and Maicon forced Buffon to make some big diving saves. Kaka scored again with some fancy footwork and got lucky with his third, which eked just under Casillas akin to Hwang Sun-hong's penalty kick in the 2002 World Cup quarterfinals.

Full-throated agreement on this. [THOMAS MCCARTHY]

Seol also scored almost right away, but Lee reminded everyone why he was one of the best wingbacks in the world in his prime with some sharp step-overs, buying him enough space to level. He then bagged a second in the same fashion on the opposite flank.

For the Hazard-Cole face-off, Hazard pulled ahead first. Cole played like it was a Champions League final, going shoulder-to-shoulder full speed and ripping full-power shots from distance. One eventually went in with a top-bin effort, but Hazard responded immediately.

The 2-on-2 featured an Invincibles reunion with Henry and Pires taking on Nemanja Vidic and Makélélé. The Shield side scored first with a goal from... Casillas, who took a Manuel Neuer approach to attacking with a laser into the left corner for the only goal of the 2-on-2.

FC Spear, in black, take on Shield United, in white in a 3-on-3 scrimmage. [THOMAS MCCARTHY]

Then it was Kaka, Hazard and Henry against Cole, Maicon and Vidic. Buffon had his turn, belting in a screamer from the halfway line, but the ex-Spain No. 1 wasn't going to let that stand and joined the attack to lob the Italian after a quick one-two with Maicon.

The next challenge was a sort of penalty kick, with Cole up first for Shield, which he converted. Hazard completely missed the net for Spear, somehow giving the defensive side the win with a baffling scoring system.

The next challenge involved a massive archery target in the middle of the pitch. The players stood on the bullseye, and a drone brought the ball up some 15 meters (49 feet) over the player before releasing it. The test of control required a brilliant first touch to prevent the ball from rolling away after the attempt to control it. It is a particularly difficult challenge that, in some ways, is harder than controlling a goal kick, since there is only one vector of momentum that no one trains for, and it proved to be tougher than expected.

Ronaldinho reminds everyone that he's retired. [THOMAS MCCARTHY]

Ronaldinho started for Spear to much aplomb, and then proceeded to look more like Ali Dia than, well, himself, with his two chances, the first of which rolled into the outer rings, and the second of which rolled completely off the mat.

Michael Carrick — not a man synonymous with "Dennis Bergkamp-esque touch" — was up for Shield. Living up to his non-reputation, he actually failed to make contact with the first drop. He managed to touch the ball on the second effort, but it rolled off the target.

Spear responded with Seedorf, who could reasonably be expected to do well. He attempted a rather acrobatic control that resulted in no points. His second attempt, though, reminded everyone why he was in strong contention for "best midfielder in the world" in his prime, ending up a mere yard from his feet.

Gilberto Silva gets a little Brazilian on his first touch attempt. [THOMAS MCCARTHY]

Up next for the defensive side was Gilberto Silva, hailing from the land of "Joga Bonito." His first touch went much like it did for the others. His second chance was almost great; he brought the ball down, but just as it was about to drop softly on the mat, it hit his planted foot and rolled away.

Local boy Koo Ja-cheol was up next and did fairly well with great inner-foot control. His second attempt might have had Wenger and Benitez wondering why they hadn't signed him, as he set it down nearly perfectly in the center.

Ferdinand was last for Shield, and he tried to copy Koo, but to disappointing results. For his second, he went for the same move and got a decent result, but it wasn't enough, and the attacking side walked away with 20 points to the defensive side's 7.

The next event was a fan-favorite: the power test. Contraptions with layers of plastic-y boards were brought out for the players to try to smash the ball through.

First up for Shield was Carles Puyol, who had quite the clearance as Barcelona's stalwart center back. He blasted through 12 layers. For Spear, it was Gerrard, who was known to score some screamers from range back in his day. He showed he's still got it, busting 14 panels.

Gareth Bale gives it his all in the power challenge. [THOMAS MCCARTHY]

Next up was Bale for Spear and Park Ju-ho for Shield. Park had a weak eight after his effort took an unlucky trajectory and got jammed in the frame. Bale matched Puyol with his go. Spear then sent Rooney to face Sol Campbell, whose physical reputation was hyped up by the MCs. He lived up to it, ripping through 14 layers. Wazza did decently with 12.

Making a small cameo were the Shield backup goalkeeper, Kim Young-kwang, and his Spear counterpart, Lee Bum-young. Kim had the same issues as Park Ju-ho, getting stiffed by the frame. The Spear backup did better to keep the attackers ahead.

Steven Gerrard, an apparent fan-favorite, gives an interview on the sidelines of the power challenge. [THOMAS MCCARTHY]

Stepping up to the mark next was Bastian Schweinsteiger for Spear, while for Shield it was John Arne Riise, a man who — no joke — caused opposition players to fight over standing in the wall when he took free kicks. He literally broke Alan Smith's leg with one. But that was with his left foot, and he was forced to shoot with his right, getting an underwhelming nine. Schweinsteiger got a respectable 11.

Before the round, the MC asked the pair how many they thought they could clear, apparently aware of the Norwegian's reputation. He was confident he could get all of them with his left, but just hoped to hit the ball at all with his right.

After his disappointing turn, they let him go again — this time with his left. Well, he was't being arrogant: After a surprisingly low-key run-up, the ball exploded out the last panel. The crowd went wild.

John Arne Riise reminds everyone why he was the most feared free kick taker in his day. [THOMAS MCCARTHY]

The last challenge was a "curl" challenge in which Spear's Park Ji-sung and Drogba would take on Shield's Italian duo of Nesta and Claudio Marchisio in attempts to score a free kick from increasingly tighter angles for more points all the way to the corner, with a five-man wall adding to the difficulty.

Park Ji-sung watches his free kick sail wide. [THOMAS MCCARTHY]

Nesta had no issue with his first, but Park's managed to go off both uprights. Nesta buried his second as well, before Park redeemed himself. Nesta also cleared his third easily, but Park put too much spin on his. The Italian finally missed with his fourth going off the far post, and the Korean wasn't even in the ballpark with his. For the last one, from the corner, Nesta got painfully close with a beautiful bend, while Park made his, sending the crowd ballistic.

Claudio Marchisio lines up his free kick. [THOMAS MCCARTHY]

Marchisio easily dispatched his first, and Drogba followed suit. Another nonplussed pair of free kicks from the two. The Italian made his third, but the Ivorian failed. Only to have the roles reverse in the fourth round. Marchisio made his corner by the narrowest of margins, but so did Drogba to seal it for the attacking side, 190 to 170.

There was a trophy ceremony marking Spear's greater overall point total from the challenges, and some fans waited to get close-up looks at these legends as they made their way around the pitch, bringing the curtain down on a fun change-up from a standard 90-minute affair.

Despite the exhibition nature of the event, over 38,000 made the trek to far-western Seoul, a testament to the reputation of the guys that came across the world. Between the on-field banter among former teammates and the demonstration of technique that shows it never really goes away, night one was a big success for both players and fans, who left even hungrier for the big showdown at sundown the next day.