LIVERPOOL and Manchester United football legends arrived in Kuala Lumpur yesterday for the "Battle of the Reds" on Saturday at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium in Bukit Jalil.
The English Premier League (EPL) stars arrived in a jovial mood despite major flight delays, lost luggage and being stuck in midtown rush hour traffic for hours.
Fans waited hours to get a glimpse of their heroes at a press conference in a city hotel.
EPL champion and champions league winner Teddy Sheringham, who will captain the Manchester United squad, and David James, who will manage the Liverpool team exchanged some banter, to the amusement of the fans.
A fan, who asked James if the two got along now that they were retired, was told that the two teams had played together against the Singapore legends and lost, and that he blamed the Manchester United players for not carrying their weight.
The Liverpool manager said his team would once and for all settle the rivalry between them by beating Manchester United soundly on Saturday.
Dwight Yorke, another Man United legend, was asked by a fan if this team in Malaysia could beat the team in the UK. He smiled and said: “No problem”.
Ian Holahan, director at World Football Legends, a co-organiser, added the players were here to meet, take a lot of pictures with, and sign autographs for their fans.
Executive project director Azman Fahmi said this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Asian fans to watch these players in action.
"In their heyday, these players were idolised by many and now that they’re here in Malaysia to play a match at our national stadium.
"It is indeed a proud moment for Malaysia to be in the only venue for this match in Asia," Azman said.
The largest fan bases of Liverpool and Manchester United in the world are to be found in Malaysia. So far more than 25 thousand fans have purchased tickets for the match.
The Liverpool line-up is made up of managerJames, Captain Luis Garcia, Emile Heskey, Glen Johnson, John Arne Riise, Patrik Berger, Vladimir Smicer, Steve McManaman, Jason McAteer, Florent Sinama, John Durnin, David Thompson, Jermaine Pennant, Djibril Cisse, and Phil Babb.
Manchester United are represented by manager Yorke, captain Sheringham, David May, Wes Brown, Clayton Blackmore, Keith Gillespie, Ben Thornley, Eric Djemba Djemba, Paul Rachubka, Russell Beardsmore, Lee Martin, Danny Webber, Mikael Silvestre, Quinton Fortune, Dimitar Berbatov, Erik Nevland, and Dion Dublin.
The match kicks off at 8.30pm on Saturday.
For tickets, go to www.ticket2u.com.my. – April 25, 2024.
