Hello, fellow Nexon game fans!

It’s 재파민!

I fell in love with football after discovering FIFA Online 2 in 5th grade, and I still love watching it today. My friends and I would always jokingly debate one question: “Who would win if attackers and defenders faced off?”

Well, one sports collaboration event actually brought that joke to life: FIFA Online X ICONS MATCH! I wanted to take a little trip down memory lane, revisiting the lineup that had my heart racing back then and a few fun moments along the way.

The Beginning of a Legend (2024 ICONS MATCH)

The first ICONS MATCH took place in the fall of 2024. Word spread that an exhibition match would pit Team Spear, made up entirely of attackers, against Team Shield, made up entirely of defenders, and it got plenty of people talking.

And the confirmed lineup? It was nothing short of astonishing.

Park Ji-sung, Del Piero, Drogba, Berbatov, Kaká, and more... These weren’t just familiar names. This was a lineup packed with legends who had left their mark on football history.

Even Ballon d’Or winners Kaká, Figo, Owen, and Shevchenko joined in, and everyone went wild. The lineup was so outrageous that people joked, “Did they spend all the FIFA Online revenue on this?” When I first saw it, I honestly thought it was photoshopped.

As if that lineup weren’t enough, we also got loads of videos in the run-up to the exhibition match that got football fans’ hearts racing. The ones where the players teased the opposing team were especially fun.

I still remember Hazard saying he would score every time someone passed to him, and Puyol firing back that he was going to score a hat-trick. Beyond the banter, I really admired seeing a player with so much passion, even long after retirement.

There were also various ICONS MATCH player packs released in-game, including Fan Boost and Show & Prove packs. For FIFA Online players, it was a win-win: join in the event and pick up packs featuring your favorite players.

Even Transfixion and All Time Low, bands any regular FIFA Online player would recognize, took the stage for the opening performance.

They’d given us so many great songs, including Time-Bomb and Radio—the music that always greeted me whenever I launched FIFA. Hearing it brought back so many memories. The staff behind the event really knew what fans would love.

On the day of the main match, Korean football legend Cha Bum-kun made his entrance carrying the ICONS MATCH trophy. That moment really brought home just how big this event was, and I couldn’t help feeling awestruck. I loved the spear-and-shield design of the trophy, too.

Against expectations, Team Shield dominated the match, winning 4:1. With everyone well past their prime and no longer anywhere near their physical peak, the defenders had a clear advantage. I still fondly remember watching it live while digging into some fried chicken.

I was too busy to catch much of the 2nd ICONS MATCH, but I really hope we get a 3rd ICONS MATCH someday. As a football fan, I’ll always be looking forward to the next one. 😎😎

Thanks for reading!