Maradona And Pele Come Together For Match Of Friendship On Eve Of Euro 2016

On the eve of the European Championship two of the greatest players in the history of the game came together to to take part in a one-off five-a-side match in Paris. So often at loggerheads, Brazil legend Pele and Argentina icon Maradona put their differences to one side for Hublot's Match of Friendship at the Palais Royale in Paris to mark Euro 2016.

The 75years old Brazil great and 55years old Argentine legend even embraced during the five-a-side exhibition game in a sign that they have drawn a line under their long-running feud. Pele and Maradona played to roles of coach as two teams of former stars went head to head in the palace garden the day before France play Romania at the Stade de France in the opening game of the Euros. Former England captain Rio Ferdinand, ex-Holland midfielder Clarence Seedorf, former Spain and Real Madrid defender Fernando Hierro and Italy's World Cup-winning defender Fabio Cannavaro were among the names to take part.

It was a far cry from the acrimony between them when FIFA was trying to decide the player of the 20th Century in 2000. The world body organised an online vote which Maradona easily won but FIFA thought the online users at the time were too young and so the vote was skewed in Maradona's favour. It then organised a vote by readers of the FIFA magazine and cast by an international jury. This time Pele won by a landslide. FIFA decided to split the award and named Pele and Maradona as the two greatest players of all time.

Maradona who led Argentina to World Cup glory in 1986 after knocking England out in the semi-final with the infamous Hand of God goal and an incredible solo strike, even rolled back the years during a short cameo performance

Former Premier League referee Howard Webb, who took charge of the 2010 World Cup final, officiated the legends match on Thursday. Hublot, the offical watch partner of the European Championship, organised the friendly kick-about as part of their Hublot Loves Football series.

In a fitting tribute to two of the most exciting attacking talents the game has ever seen, the match ended 8-8 with David Trezeguet netting a hat-trick. The former France striker scored the winning goal in the final of Euro 2000 as France beat Italy 2-1 in extra-time courtesy of the golden goal rule.