London - Manchester United's famed “Class of '92” including Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville donned their soccer boots for possibly one last time on Thursday and immediately wished they had left them in the loft.
The retired trio, along with Nicky Butt and Phil Neville, bought semi-professional team Salford City earlier this year and agreed to play the eighth-tier side in a fund-raising friendly - only to lose 5-1.
United assistant manager Giggs, who retired in the close season, scored the Class of 92's only goal with a cheeky chipped penalty to show new Old Trafford boss Louis van Gaal that he could easily whip on the famous red shirt again in case of any future injury crises.
David Beckham, another famous name from the youth team which spawned so many United heroes, was missing from Thursday's match but Giggs and Co drafted in the likes of former England cricket captain Michael Vaughan to make up the numbers - and it showed.
Salford City play close to Old Trafford and so many fans wanted to see the game at the Eccles ground that kickoff had to be delayed to let the full 12,000 in.
The high-profile owners aim to take Salford into the professional English league. – Reuters