Football legends John Terry, Roberto Carlos, Michael Owen, Paul Scholes and Edgar Davids are gearing up for a one-of-a-kind showdown in Dubai later this year at the highly anticipated King's Cup.
The legends football match, set for November 30 at Al Maktoum Stadium, returns for its third edition.
After previous showdowns featuring Manchester United Legends against Leicester City Legends in 2022 and a World XI last year, this year’s event takes a fresh approach.
Organisers have pulled out all the stops to attract football’s biggest stars to Dubai, with Terry captaining the Hedge & Sachs Royals XI and Dutch icon Davids leading Sheikh Khalifa Bin Saeed Bin Maktoum Bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s King's XI.
“The first event we did involved Manchester United, and the second one also involved the Red Devils and a World 11, so I realised we needed to mix it up this year,” Mohammed Mousa, event founder, told Gulf News.
“I got involved with the Sheikh and we said, ‘okay, let's try and build a concept very different to what we've been doing all along’. We both put our A-listers together to create two teams with outstanding quality.
“We’re trying to do what they’re doing in Saudi, but we’re doing it a little different. That’s how the King's Cup was born.”
In addition to the retired football icons, Mousa has pulled off a major coup by securing World Cup winner Paul Pogba for the match, crafting a unique role for the current Juventus midfielder.
Pogba, along with Carlos, will wear the exclusive ‘King's Guard’ shirt, limiting each player to just 15 minutes per half for their respective teams.
While some fans might wish to see more of Pogba, this innovative shirt comes with special privileges.
The ‘King's Guard’ role adds an extra player to the field, meaning both teams could have up to 24 players on the pitch if Pogba and Carlos are used simultaneously, barring any red cards.
Talking of red cards, the ‘King's Guard’ players are exempt from both yellow and red cards, and they cannot be flagged offside, adding a unique twist to the match.
“The only way to get Paul to play was the ‘King's Guard’ because he doesn't have a name or number and it's a charity game, so he's allowed,” said Mousa, who confirmed that ten percent of the revenue from ticket sales will go to the Al Jalila Foundation.
“Paul will be playing this game and for me, it's one of the biggest coups because he hasn’t even played in Saudi yet.
“He's also called couple of his friends which we can’t name just yet because they haven’t confirmed. But people like Zlatan (Ibrahimović) and (Frank) Ribery look like they could be part of the event.
“We have already signed 22 players, and I can confirm Blais Matuidi, Emanuel Adebayor and Jay-Jay Okocha will be playing.
“We've got a really good set of legends from while back and ones that have just retired. We're trying to give people a proper sense and value of football then to now.
“Where else would you see Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea players compete together other than Dubai?”
Chelsea players don’t come much bigger than Terry.
The Englishman won five Premier League titles, five FA Cups and a Champions League title in his time at Stamford Bridge, becoming the club's most decorated player.
The centre-back also won five league cups and a Europa League in more than 700 appearances for the Blues.
But even after such a decorated career, the former England captain admits he still feels the nerves when stepping onto the pitch for games like the King's Cup
“I’m quite nervous now,” Terry told Gulf News.
“It’s always the way, you say you’ll sign up for something and then suddenly you have to start getting on it again!
“I love Dubai, so I’m looking forward to being involved with the King's Cup. It’s also good to be around ex-players that are at a similar level.
“It’s going to be fun, but obviously we want to win.”
Full team lineups are set to be confirmed in the coming weeks, with tickets on sale later this month.
