If you grew up watching the Premier League in the 1990s and 2000s, there are going to be a lot of familiar names on the pitch in Kuala Lumpur this weekend.
Michael Owen, Steven Gerrard, Ryan Giggs, John Arne Riise, Eidur Gudjohnsen, Jaap Stam, Alessandro Del Piero and Fernando Morientes are among the football legends taking part in AllStar Legends on Saturday, 3 October.
But this isn’t going to be your typical legends’ exhibition match.
From 11-a-side to 5-a-side
The event has been moved indoors to MITEC following concerns over the worsening haze and unpredictable weather in Kuala Lumpur.
And with the change of venue comes a change in format. 
Instead of the originally planned 11-a-side game, the legends will play 5v5, with two 20-minute halves.
That’s a pretty different proposition.
A smaller pitch means the players should be much more involved, while the indoor setting at MITEC should also bring fans closer to the action.
And with this particular group of players, I’m quite curious to see how a bunch of former elite footballers cope with 40 minutes of five-a-side.
Michael Owen has been coming to Malaysia for years
For Michael Owen, returning to Malaysia is nothing new.
He first came here as a 17-year-old with England for the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship, a tournament he remembers fondly despite England being knocked out by Argentina.
He has returned many times since, including during his professional career when clubs such as Liverpool and Manchester United visited Malaysia during pre-season.
At the press conference, Owen said he has always enjoyed coming back and highlighted the passion for football among Malaysian fans.
But don’t expect the same level of nerves and preparation he would have had during his playing career.
Owen admitted he used to be superstitious — including putting his right boot on first — but said things are much more relaxed now.
The players are here to have fun, meet fans and put on a show.
Jaap Stam still sounds competitive
Jaap Stam, meanwhile, seems to be approaching the game with a slightly more competitive mindset.
He revealed that he had already played a five-a-side game recently — and joked that while the first half went well, he “got battered” in the second.
Still, he is looking forward to getting back on the pitch with some familiar faces.
Stam also reflected on how much football has changed since his playing days, particularly the way modern teams prepare and how much more structured tactics and player positioning have become.
But when you’re putting former Manchester United, Liverpool, Barcelona, Juventus and Real Madrid stars into a five-a-side game, perhaps tactics can only take you so far.
A seriously nostalgic lineup
The final lineup is packed with players who defined different eras of football.
The AllStar Premier Legends include:
Michael Owen, Steven Gerrard, Ryan Giggs, John Arne Riise, Eidur Gudjohnsen, Danny Simpson and David Bentley.
The AllStar World Legends feature:
Alessandro Del Piero, Jaap Stam, Fernando Morientes, Javier Saviola, Dida, Diego Capel and Gregory van der Wiel.
There are Premier League titles, Champions League trophies, international careers and countless iconic football moments represented in that list.
And now they’re all being squeezed onto a five-a-side pitch in Kuala Lumpur.
Why the change could actually make this more fun
The move from a big outdoor stadium to MITEC might initially sound like a downgrade.
I’m not sure it necessarily is.
For a legends’ match, having the players closer to the crowd could actually make the experience more interesting.
And five-a-side should mean less standing around and more involvement from the players.
These aren’t players trying to recreate their professional careers. As Owen said, they’re there to enjoy themselves and entertain the fans.
That makes the event feel less like a serious attempt to relive the past and more like what it should be: a chance to see some very familiar football names having fun together again.
With Owen, Gerrard, Giggs, Del Piero, Stam, Morientes and the rest all sharing a pitch, there should be plenty of nostalgia packed into those 40 minutes.
AllStar Legends takes place on Saturday, 3 October 2026 at 8:45pm at MITEC, Kuala Lumpur.
And for anyone who grew up watching these players, seeing them back on a football pitch together — even in a very different format — should be quite a night.
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