The 44-year-old scored a direct free-kick in a muted yet nostalgic take on the world’s fiercest club rivalries.

For many, it was a trip down memory lane as Ronaldinho stood up to take a free-kick in what had been a rather bleak clash till then.

The camera slowly zooms in on his face to the classic free-kick angle. It is there for everyone to see on the screens at the Khalifa International Stadium and everyone has their phone out anticipating the obvious: a Ronaldinho Gaucho classic goal.

And so it happened. The Brazilian exquisitely finished at the top corner as Real Madrid Legends’ goalkeeper Francisco Buyo — who played his last professional match of football in 1997 — froze at the other end.

In a moment that seemed almost effortless for him, Ronaldinho reveled in the spotlight as his name echoed through the arena. The screen now displayed a heartwarming scene of a man joyfully tossing his son into the air in celebration.

That perfectly captured the essence of Thursday’s Legends El Clasico – few showed up expecting high-intensity, cutting-edge football. Instead, it felt like a journey through memories long past. For millennials, it was a nostalgic trip down memory lane, while for younger fans, it was a chance to witness firsthand the magic that had been so passionately hyped by the generation before them.

Argentine full-back Juan Pablo Sorin, who only had a brief spell on loan at Barcelona 21 years ago, had already made it 1-0 for the Blaugrana before Ronaldinho’s moment arrived.

With the likes of captain Rivaldo and David Villa on the pitch, Barcelona went 2-0 up in the first half in no time in front of the 31,004 fans. They continued to pounce on Real Madrid, who also had the likes of Luis Figo, Clarence Seedorf, Savio on their side.

Ronaldinho nearly doubled his tally with two moments of brilliance that again left everyone at their feet. First, he set up Roger Garcia, whose powerful shot struck the crossbar. Then, it was the Brazilian’s dazzling dribble past Fernando Sanz that created anticipation, before scooping the ball past the keeper, only to see it drift just wide.

The equally studded All Whites then found their way back through Luis Figo, who fired across Angoy to make it 1-2 in the 58th minute. Minutes later, Edwin Congo pounced on an error to level the score, this time being just onside for the goal.

Barca pushed for a winner, but Patrick Kluivert’s penalty was brilliantly saved by Contreras after a foul on Quaresma.

The closing minutes were filled with drama as Congo’s header hit the bar and Quaresma narrowly missed at the other end. A 2-2 draw at full-time then set the stage for a penalty shootout — although many of the fans had already left.

Angoy stood tall for Barcelona, making up for Frank De Boer’s miss, saving two penalties to secure a 4-2 victory for the Catalan club’s veteran time. Once again, it was a trip down memory lane for Barcelona fans of the late nineties as Rivaldo collected the trophy and Barcelona celebrated atop.