Some of the biggest names in world football reunited in South Korea for the '2025 ICON Match: Return of the Spears, Beginning of the Counterattack', held on September 14 at Seoul World Cup Stadium. A crowd about 65,000 fans filled the venue to watch the star-studded showdown.
The annual ICON Match, hosted by 'Nexon', brings together legendary attackers 'FC Spear' and defenders 'Shield United'. This year’s squads were stacked with football royalty: Thierry Henry, Didier Drogba, Ronaldinho, Wayne Rooney, Kaká, Clarence Seedorf, Gareth Bale, Steven Gerrard, Bastian Schweinsteiger, and Gianluigi Buffon lined up for FC Spear under coach Arsène Wenger. On the other side, Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidić, Alessandro Nesta, Ashley Cole, Maicon, Michael Carrick, Claude Makélélé, Carles Puyol, and Iker Casillas played for Shield United, led by Rafa Benítez. Korean legends Park Ji Sung, Seol Ki Hyeon, Park Joo Ho, Lee Young Pyo, and Gu Ja Cheol also took part, delighting home fans.
Italian referee Pierluigi Collina, one of the most iconic referees in football history, officiated the first half, adding to the nostalgia.
On the pitch, the match delivered plenty of drama. After Wayne Rooney opened the scoring for FC Spear in the second half, Shield United rallied with goals from Maicon and Korean defender Park Joo Ho, sealing a 2-1 comeback victory. With the win, Shield United secured their second straight ICON Match triumph.
The ICON Match was inspired by the passion of users of Nexon’s online football games 'FC Online' and 'FC Mobile', many of whom are devoted football fans. Since then, Nexon has linked gaming with real football through youth support programs, entertainment projects featuring famous managers, and large-scale campaigns designed to grow the sport. The back-to-back hosting of the ICON Match reflects Nexon’s efforts to expand football culture and build a shared ecosystem where gaming and the sport thrive together.
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