Cristiano Ronaldo made his Real Madrid debut in a half-built stadium in Dublin, Ireland, but he failed to live up to his billing as 'the star of the show'.
In the build-up to the pre-season friendly with Shamrock Rovers, there was a doubt that world's most expensive player would actually make an appearance.
The former Manchester United player did turn up, but he offered little in a 45 minute cameo to bedazzle the 10,915 supporters that squeezed into the Tallaght Stadium. Not that he didn't try.
He made some clever runs off the ball, produced some flicks and even tried to score one of his trademark free-kicks, but nothing came off for the Portuguese international. In fact, he was quickly brought down to earth when Rovers full-back Pat Flynn chopped down the 24-year-old with a crunching tackle inside the opening 10 minutes.
That challenge was a sign of things to come as Rovers, who lie second in the League of Ireland Premier Division, worked hard to close down their high profile opponents and show that they were capable of competing with Los Galacticos.
This game was a dream fixture for the club and it appeared that nothing was going to stop it taking place once an agreement had been reached with Real some weeks ago.
Despite having a stadium that was only half-built and a hectic league schedule to keep their players busy, the Hoops were determined to be ready for this game. One problem was solved when temporary seating was installed at the ground, but they had a league game just two days before the set date that proved to be troublesome.
Rovers were due to take on Sligo Rovers in a home game on Saturday evening, but that match had to be switched to another venue because South Dublin County Council, who own the Tallaght Stadium, refused to allow their tenants to play on the pitch so close to the friendly with Real.
This caused a lot of problems as the FAI (Football Association of Ireland) expressed their dissatisfaction that a friendly fixture was held in higher importance than a league game. It is an issue that will surely be brought up again once the Galacticos have departed Ireland.
For Real, this trip was a successful one. At least that is how manager Manuel Pellegrini described it in his post-match press conference. The ex-Villarreal coach was pleased with the workout that his players got against Rovers and stated that the training that they did over a nine-day stretch in Carton House will prove to be worthwhile as they continue to prepare for the upcoming La Liga season.
Ronaldo was meant to be the star attraction in their only game in Ireland, especially with Kaka absent due to his involvement in the Confederations Cup, but it was Karim Benzema who made the biggest impression.
The recent arrival from Lyon wasted little time in showing exactly what he is capable of when he smashed a shot against the post within minutes of coming onto the pitch. He came close with two more efforts, before eventually finding the net three minutes from time.
All eyes will be on Real this year as they look to mould a team around some of the best players in the world and get back to a position whereby they are able to sustain a challenge for the La Liga title and the Champions League crown.
Judging by their first pre-season outing, there is still plenty of work to do. However, there were signs - largely provided by Benzema - that they could be a devastating force once they find a formula that works.
They have hinted that they might return to Ireland for pre-season again next year and Platinum One, the PR company who organised the trip, believe that it is quite possible.
Whether any of the Shamrock Rovers players will get another chance to test themselves against the likes of Ronaldo, Raul, and Rafael van der Vaart remains to be seen. For now though, they can hold onto the memory of the night when they played Real Madrid and matched them until a wonderkid named Benzema decided to spoil their celebrations.
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