Global football icons descend on Hong Kong for Lunar New Year Cup, Totti, Puyol, Rivaldo and Pires among stars in city
- The Lunar New Year Cup began in 1908 but was last staged as a four-team tournament in 2019
- More than 20,000 tickets sold for match, which takes place nine days after infamous Lionel Messi Hong Kong Stadium no-show
A host of global football icons, including World Cup winners Rivaldo, Francesco Totti, and Alessandro Del Piero, have descended on Hong Kong to play against a local legends team in Tuesday’s Lunar New Year Cup match.
The celebration fixture is returning after a five-year absence, and more than 20,000 supporters have overlooked the ages on the superstars’ birth certificates to buy tickets for the game at Hong Kong Stadium.
The World Legends squad features 17 household names, and goalkeeper David James, who played for Liverpool and Manchester City, mischievously promised “everybody will play”.
James, whose wife is from Hong Kong, said: “It is a wonderful opportunity to play with such legendary players, and it will be fantastic to come up against some of the Hong Kong legends.”
The 18-man local squad boasts an average age of 44.2, while the comparative figure for the invited glitterati is 46.9.
Robert Pires, the Arsenal great and World Cup winner with France, told the Post his appetite for playing football has not diminished since retirement 13 years ago.