On 9 September, two European giants are bringing together some of the greatest footballers in history, with a team of Chelsea Legends returning to London for the first time in five years to take on Bayern Legends.

John Terry and Roberto Di Matteo - who announced the game together live at Stamford Bridge before kick-off on Saturday against Aston Villa - are the first examples of the footballing royalty who have already signed up, with many more to be announced in the coming months.

In addition to being an opportunity to see many of your Chelsea heroes in action, the game has extra poignancy as it will be held in memory of the late Gianluca Vialli, with 50 per cent of the proceeds of the game going directly to The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity which supports the work of The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust – where the iconic former Chelsea forward and manager was treated. The other proceeds will be donated to the Chelsea Foundation.

Di Matteo will manage the team – just as he did against Bayern in the 2012 Champions League final – and he has been discussing the new fixture. He played and scored in the previous Chelsea Legends game, against Inter Forever in 2018, but he confirms it is a non-playing role for him this time, taking on the management from Vialli who was in charge for that previous Legends match.

‘That was my last game,' said Robbie. 'It was great fun but I could also feel my legs are not there anymore to sustain a football game. So I'll be looking forward to seeing the boys performing on the pitch.

‘There will definitely be a part where we are going to celebrate Luca’s legacy, him as a person and his career, and also the history that he has built here.

'The idea is also to reunite the team that was involved in that 2012 campaign so it’ll be nice to see everybody all come together and it's something that unites you, connects you for the rest of your life, so it will be lovely to see all those guys back here.’

JT looked back on being given his Chelsea debut by Vialli: ‘It was a very long time ago, in a game against Villa, today’s opponents, and when you get that trust from a manager at a very young age, it is fantastic,' said the captain, leader, legend.

'Luca trusted me and I am forever grateful that he gave me that first opportunity.’

Antonia Dalmahoy, managing director of The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, said: ‘We are so grateful to Chelsea Football Club and the Legends for organising this match in memory of Gianluca Vialli. 

‘The money raised for The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity will help fund pioneering research to develop new treatments that will improve the lives of cancer patients worldwide.’

• Click for news of Gianfranco Zola's involvement

Ticket sales information

Ticket sales for this match will be as follows:

Wednesday 3 May 10am: Season ticket holders can purchase one ticket per person - click to buy tickets now

Wednesday 3 May 10am: Club Chelsea hospitality tickets on general sale (maximum 10 tickets per person) - click here to purchase Club Chelsea tickets now

Friday 5 May 10am: Season ticket holders and members can purchase one ticket per person.

Tuesday 9 May 10am: Season ticket holders and members can purchase an additional nine tickets each (maximum of 10 tickets in total).

Tuesday 9 May 2pm: Tickets will go on general sale (maximum 10 tickets per person).

All ticket sales are subject to availability.