Cameroon beat an All-Stars team in a match played on Tuesday in memory of Marc-Vivien Foe, who died at the same Gerland ground in Lyon in June after a Confederations Cup semi-final.
The African champions won 3-1 but the result against former team mates of Foe was secondary to the emotion shared by the players on the pitch and the 23,962 spectators in the stands of one of his clubs.
The former Cameroon midfielder died of heart failure shortly after collapsing during Cameroon's semi-final against Colombia on June 26.
Patrick Mboma, who flew from Japan to celebrate the memory of his friend, Paris-St Germain's Modest Mbami and Samuel Eto'o of Real Mallorca scored Cameroon's goals in this memorial game shown on French television.
The "Friendship team", comprising the likes of Thierry Henry, Robert Pires, Sylvain Wiltord and Nicolas Anelka, scored through Brazilian Sonny Anderson, a former team mate of Foe's at Olympique Lyon.
The income from the game will go to a charity fund chaired by Foe's wife Marie-Louise. Television viewers were also asked to buy T-shirts
"It's a special day today, and I ask you to give all your support to Marc-Vivien and his family," said England captain David Beckham in a recorded message broadcast on television.
"Some 25,000 persons and a field of great players, it was the best homage we could pay to Marco," said former French international Basile Boli, who organised the game with the French Professional League (LFP).
"I'd like to thank all the people who supported me and all those who were present today. It's a mark of love for Marc-Vivien," said Marie-Louise on television.
The "Friendship" team was coached by Manchester City's Kevin Keegan, Lyon's Paul Le Guen and former RC Lens trainer Daniel Leclercq. Foe, who was on loan at City last season, won French league titles with Lens and Lyon.
The match was played under the motto "a lion never dies, it sleeps" and a banner in the stands read "another star now shines above Gerland".
Foe, who made 65 appearances for Cameroon, played in two World Cup tournaments in 1994 and 2002 and twice won the African Nations Cup, in 2000 and 2002.
