New names were added to the United legends squad as Wes Brown and Alan Smith joined veterans Dwight Yorke, Ronny Johnsen and Ji-sung Park, and the Reds faced off against fan favourites Ronaldinho, Rivaldo, Edgar Davids and Patrick Kluivert.

The match ended in a 1-3 win for United with former Red Jesper Blomqvist getting in on the action with a goal early in the first half.  Dwight Yorke and Karel Poborsky were also on the scoresheet for United with Barcelona’s Dehu pulling a goal back late for the home side.

After the game Dwight commented: “I’m obviously delighted with my goal; this stadium is kind to me!  Despite being 45 years of ages it’s still a great feeling when you score, especially at a stadium so steeped in history.

“The most important thing is that these games are for the Foundations of each club; we especially continue to support the Manchester United Foundation, that’s why we’re here, and here’s to the return leg.”

Alongside Alan Smith, defender Wes Brown also took to the field for his legends debut and thoroughly enjoyed the experience:

“It was brilliant, great fun, although it was a bit hot in the first half!  It was a great result and we’re looking forward to the game at Old Trafford now. “

He added: “It was a good crowd and to be with the boys again, I fully enjoyed it – I just hope we fill the stadium for the return leg in September!”

The Barcelona match precedes the home leg to take part at Old Trafford on 2^nd September 2017, which will raise money for Manchester United Foundation’s work with young people across Greater Manchester.

Legends are Back 2017 follows the success of the 2013 and 2015 clashes against Real Madrid and Bayern Munich respectively, which jointly raised over £1.8 million for the Foundation.

At the home leg, fans can look forward to welcoming Andrew Cole back to the Old Trafford dugout as he takes on the role of assistant manager to Bryan Robson, and other former Reds will also be stepping back out onto the hallowed turf, including Edwin van der Sar, Paul Scholes, Denis Irwin, Phil Neville and Dimitar Berbatov.

The Old Trafford event will also include live entertainment from top music acts and family activities outside the stadium.

The match will be shown live on MUTV in the UK and tickets are on sale now at www.manutd.com/legendsareback. Prices start from £20 for adults and £5 for under-16s, with hospitality packages available from £125. All proceeds will go to Manchester United Foundation.