He asked for Hazard Pass, but he couldn't. This year, Spear captain Drogba's meeting with fans, true soccer

Sep 13, 2025

He asked for Hazard Pass, but he couldn't. This year, Spear captain Drogba's meeting with fans, true soccer
'2025 Icon Match: Return of the Window, Start of Counterattack" event match was held at Sangam World Cup Stadium in Seoul on the afternoon of the 13th. Didier Drogba and Rio Ferdinand were interviewed before the game. Drogba smiling brightly. Sangam = Reporter Jung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2025.9.13/



"I had a great time meeting various fans." I think that's the true aspect of soccer"

Didier Drogba, who served as FC Spear's captain at the media day of the '2025 Icon Match: The Return of the Window, the Beginning of the Counterattack' held at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 13th, expressed his expectation for the meeting with fans.

The Icon Match is a super-large soccer event hosted by Nexon, which serves 'FC Online' and 'FC Mobile', and it is an event match in which legendary soccer players gather in one place to play unusual games. The Icon Match, which debuted in 2024, already sold out 16,000 pre-booking seats for FC online event participants in 10 minutes, and 48,000 tickets for general visitors were also sold out in an hour. The heat was hotter this time. This year, in the case of pre-booking for participants in the 'FC Online' icon match event, the number of pre-booking tickets for the main match was sold out in 10 minutes. General reservations for general visitors were also sold out in 20 minutes, confirming the heated interest.




He asked for Hazard Pass, but he couldn't. This year, Spear captain Drogba's meeting with fans, true soccer
'2025 Icon Match: Return of the Window, Start of Counterattack" event match was held at Sangam World Cup Stadium in Seoul on the afternoon of the 13th. Didier Drogba and Rio Ferdinand were interviewed before the game. Drogba answering questions. Sangam = Reporter Jung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2025.9.13/
The faces of the legends gathered were colorful enough to capture the attention of fans. FC Spear (striker team) led by head coach Arsen Wenger included Didier Drogba, Thierry Henry, Eden Hazard, Clarence Seidorf, Robert Pires, Ronaldinho, Kaka, Gareth Bale, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Steven Gerrard, Wayne Rooney, Park Ji-sung, Koo Ja-cheol, Seol Ki-hyun, Gianluigi Buffon and Lee Bum-young. Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, Jon Arnerise, Carles Puyol, Michael Cole, Sol Campbell, Claudio Marcicio, Claude Makelelele, Michael Carrick, Alessandro Nesta, Lee Young-pyo, Park Ju-ho, Iker Casillas and Kim Young-kwang were named in the Shield United led by head coach Rafael Benitez.

A large number of players who stand out in attack and defense, which are symbols of each team, have joined to raise expectations for the game, and Wenger and Benitez, the two great leaders representing the 2000s, have led the team, drawing attention to the managers' resourceful confrontation. Ahead of the main match on the 14th, various events will be held on the 13th, including media day, end-of-life confrontation, touch challenge, power d'or, and curve challenge, where both team captains will appear.

He asked for Hazard Pass, but he couldn't. This year, Spear captain Drogba's meeting with fans, true soccer
'2025 Icon Match: Return of the Window, Start of Counterattack" event match was held at Sangam World Cup Stadium in Seoul on the afternoon of the 13th. Didier Drogba and Rio Ferdinand were interviewed before the game. Drogba answering questions. Sangam = Reporter Jung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2025.9.13/
FC Spear skipper Drogba appeared on media day ahead of the event match. Drogba, who had his most brilliant time for Chelsea from 2004 to 2012, won four English Premier League (EPL) titles, one European Champions League title, and two EPL top scorers, playing as the league's best striker.




Asked if he could avenge last year's defeat, Drogba replied: "Last year, the defender team was organized and stable. In experience, players who focus on defense can operate in a stable manner. I think it's a general result. However, I don't know if Yaya Toure and Seidorf are defenders. This year, he was confident of revenge and expected that he would be able to use easy tactics because the coaches were appointed. I delivered the ball at Azar's request, but the result was unsatisfactory. I'm hoping to work harder this year."

When asked if he has played FC Online or FC Mobile himself, "I enjoy playing with my kids. The children were good at it, so they had to play real soccer to win. I look forward to a game where I can score goals because I have good scoring ability."

He asked for Hazard Pass, but he couldn't. This year, Spear captain Drogba's meeting with fans, true soccer
'2025 Icon Match: Return of the Window, Start of Counterattack" event match was held at Sangam World Cup Stadium in Seoul on the afternoon of the 13th. Didier Drogba and Rio Ferdinand were interviewed before the game. Drogba points to Ferdinand. Sangam = Reporter Jung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2025.9.13/
As for how he felt about being coached by Wenger, who he met as an enemy, "He was a rival coach when he was active, but he has respect for the coach. It's an honor to be with great directors. Both teams are expected to have a manager and show better performances," he replied. Among the new players, the most anticipated player is "It will be a gift for fans because many good players such as Schweinsteiger and Gerrard joined."




Asked if he had any opinions on concepts other than the current striker team and defender team, he replied: "I have never thought of any particular concept. The current concept is also satisfactory to encourage competition."

When asked if he would like to participate in such an event again next year, Drogba immediately said "Of course"It was so nice to visit Korea again this year following last year. It was good to meet various fans in Seoul. I had a great time meeting various fans in the city. I think that's true soccer. I want to come again because I have a good feeling for Korea."

He asked for Hazard Pass, but he couldn't. This year, Spear captain Drogba's meeting with fans, true soccer
'2025 Icon Match: Return of the Window, Start of Counterattack" event match was held at Sangam World Cup Stadium in Seoul on the afternoon of the 13th. Didier Drogba and Rio Ferdinand were interviewed before the game. Drogba is mimicking Ferdinand, who laughed with victory last year. Sangam = Reporter Jung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2025.9.13/
As for the impact of such event matches on soccer, it seems to be a positive result for fans to see the combination of legendary players. Regardless of the game itself, I think it is a positive influence on people. Last year or this year, there are a lot of family fans, and I think it's a positive impact on society if you give them pleasure."

When faced on a one-on-one basis, there is no player who wants to face each other. If you look at us on the field, you may want to win in addition to being professional, but I also want to say that I respect them even if I want to win on the field. He said, "I want to do my best to win the game, no different from active players."

Asked if the new managers had any training or special instructions, Drogba replied "There wasn't any."We'll have a meeting before tomorrow's game. I was instructed by Wenger in a friendly match, and I think he will tell me to enjoy it well without injury."





This article was translated by Naver AI translator.