- A team of Man United legends took on a World XI in Dubai over the weekend
- The United squad included three Leicester Premier League winners
- It’s the world against Everton – it can galvanise the players to stay up – IAKO
A collection of Manchester United legends gathered for a dressing-room photo in Dubai as they took part in an 11-goal thriller against a World XI on Saturday.
The match opened the inaugural Legends Football League, and it did not disappoint as a spectacle, with United eventually losing 8-3.
But that couldn’t wipe the smile off the faces of their former stars who played their part in making Sir Alex Ferguson’s side the dominant force in English football.
Patrice Evra, who scored, and Dwight Yorke started for the Red Devils, while the likes of Antonio Valencia, Juan Sebastian Veron and Eric Djemba-Djemba were also involved.
Valencia only left Old Trafford four years ago, but looked almost unrecognisable as he posed for a separate photo with Veron.
Defensive duo Wes Brown and Mikael Silvestre also featured, with the former captaining the team, while Dimitar Berbatov led the line – and got on the scoresheet.
One of United’s heroes from their famous 1999 Champions League final win, Jesper Blomqvist, was also on hand to join in the fun.
That night at the Nou Camp proved to be his final game for United, but he is still fondly remembered by the red side of Manchester.
Meanwhile, Danny Simpson, who made just eight senior appearances for the club before winning the Premier League with Leicester, was in the starting XI.
The Legends Football League allows ‘impact players’, meaning a current player or celebrity can play in matches.
United made use of this by including Simpson’s former Leicester team-mate Wes Morgan, who famously captained the Foxes to the title in 2016, in their squad.
Fellow Premier League champion Nathan Dyer then came off the bench for the Red Devils.
And United’s starting line-up was completed with a Champions-winning goalkeeper in the shape of Julio Cesar. The Brazilian shot-stopper lifted the trophy with Jose Mourinho’s Inter Milan in 2010 before moving to QPR two years later.
Looking through the team, it is an impressive squad of legendary players, but the World XI brought out some major stars themselves.
Roberto Carlos, Kaka, Didier Drogba, Rivaldo, Robert Pires, David Trezeguet, Florent Malouda, Bacary Sagna and David James all started, while another Leicester Premier League winner – Robert Huth – was on the bench alongside Samir Nasri.
Clarence Seedorf, a five-time Champions League winner and arguably one of the most underrated players of his generation, picked up the man-of-the-match award.
After getting underway in Dubai, the Legends Football League is due to be taken all over the world, and will resume in India in January.
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
