The scenes after full time are unforgettable, with the home supporters at the Estadio Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán humbly applauding the Schalke 04 players and their travelling fans. When Sevilla claimed the title a few weeks later with a 4-0 win over Middlesbrough, the Royal Blues were one of the first to offer their congratulations.

A little over a year later, the new-found bond was strengthened in devastating circumstances when Antonio Puerta died on 28th August 2007. The winning goalscorer of the semi-final suffered a cardiac arrest during a league game against Getafe and despite being resuscitated five times, he passed away three days later at just 23 years old.

The Royal Blues joined the footballing world in offering their condolences and before Schalke’s next game at the VELTINS-Arena against Leverkusen on 31st August 2007, a minute’s silence was held in memory of Puerta.

Friendly scheduled for 22nd March

Antonio Puerta still lives on in the hearts of Sevilla’s fans, and since 2008 a near annual tribute match has been held at the Estadio Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuá. Sevilla invite a team to participate in the so-called Antonio Puerta Trophy, which featured Boca Juniors in 2016 and Italian giants AS Roma in 2017.

This year’s edition will see FC Schalke 04 have the honour, with Sevilla inviting the Royal Blues to play on Friday, 22nd March during the year’s first international break. There’s no doubt we’ll be seeing scarves bearing both clubs’ logos once again.