Match between Barcelona and Mexico legends provides fitting tribute to Cruyff

There was a party atmosphere in the Mexican city of Queretaro as more than 13,000 fans congregated to watch an FC Barcelona Legends team take on an XI made up of former Mexico stars. The crowd were certainly wowed by the event, which is just one of several arranged across the globe by LaLiga ahead of El Clasico.

Besides the fantastic footballing spectacle, which saw the Mexicans claim a 2-0 win, another highlight of the match was the heartfelt tribute paid to Johan Cruyff, the emotion of which was heightened by the fact that many of those involved on Barça's side worked with the late, great Dutchman at the Camp Nou. The Azulgranas players took to the pitch in T-shirts sporting the message 'Thank you, Johan' and also wore a special armband in his honour. However, the crowning moment came in the 14th minute, when play was stopped, every fan in the stands burst into applause in Cruyff's memory and a kid presented Hristo Stoichkov with a bouquet of orange tulips.

In their own way, the proceedings in Mexico had just as much star appeal as what's in store in the battle between Barcelona and Real Madrid in the Catalan capital later today. The supporters were able to feast their eyes on legendary Barça players like Stoichkov, Ronald de Boer, Edmilson, Jari Litmanen and Vitor Baia, who were brought together on a team captained by Jose Mari Bakero. Liga BBVA ambassador Gaizka Mendieta also dusted off his boots and lined up alongside some of his old teammates.

The fans who flocked to the Estadio Corregidora cheered on both the FC Barcelona Legends and the 'home' side, which featured the likes of iconic ex-goalkeeper Jorge Campos, midfield maestro Ramon Ramirez – who performed captaincy duties – and goalscoring great Jared Borgetti, alongside other illustrious figures such as Jose Francisco Fonseca, Martin Zuñiga and Daniel Osorno.

The 36 players who took part in the game – which was played under the name Movistar Legends – showed that they haven't lost their touch, serving up some super stuff to get the place rocking, with the Mexican team eventually running out the winners.