It's an image that brings a smile to the face: two dozen former English Premier League stars stand shivering at Hanoi's Noi Ba airport in flip-slops and shorts because someone has forgotten to tell them they are flying into wintery conditions rather than the tropical Asia they are expecting.
"It was seriously cold - we thought it was just a case of the air-con being a bit strong as we stood around waiting for the visas to be sorted out," recalled former Arsenal and Liverpool star Michael Thomas this week.
"But then another plane landed and all these people got off wearing parkas and thick jackets," he laughed.
Thomas and fellow players, including Steve McManaman, John Barnes and Andy Cole, were in Vietnam as part of the Liverpool and Manchester United legends teams which played games against a team of Vietnamese ex-internationals.
The dress-code confusion arose because the second-leg of the Asian trip contained an indoor tournament in sweltering Kuala Lumpur Malaysia.
Cold conditions aside, the players duly carried out their commitments in Vietnam, performing well on the pitch, despite having to do so in front of disappointing crowds. Off the pitch, they described the visit as an eye-opener.
There could have been more fans in KL too - the Putra Indoor Stadium crowd was disappointing, given the football on show at the EPL Masters.
Liverpool and Manchester United were joined by an all-stars side containing Arsenal star Ray Parlour and former Spurs *keeper Ian Walker, as well as a team from Sheffield United (Brian Deane, Tony Agana, Alan Wright).
As it turned out, after some hard-fought and high-quality matches, the final featured fierce rivals Liverpool and Manchester United, with the latter edging it on penalties after a 3-3 draw.
Andy Cole stroked home the winning spot-kick to earn his team a rare Masters win over Liverpool, whose side also contained Jason McAteer, Don Hutchison, Mark Wright and Mark Walters.
The tournament, beamed live in Malaysia and back to Britain, was notable for its intensity: seven games, played back-to-back with hardly any let-up left several players hobbling by nightfall.
Not that that stopped any of them from enjoying the social aspect of the tour - drink was taken, old matches re-lived and banter exchanged, and all under the watchful eye of Masters veteran Viv Anderson, the former two-time European Cup winner with Nottingham Forest whose performances on court belied his 53 years.
"It's the camaraderie that keeps players coming back," said Andy Cole, a newcomer to Masters football, having only retired from the professional game a year ago. Gesturing across a hotel bar that hosted the likes of 35-year-old Swede Jesper Blomqvist *of Manchester United fame* and Norway's Ronnie Johnsen, Cole said, "this is what they miss."That camaraderie explains why Masters football throws together players like Cole (whose CV includes an amazing 68 goals in 84 games for Newcastle, a treble with Manchester United and 15 caps for England) and others 15 years older than him, some of whom enjoyed modest club careers, such as striker John Durnin who only played twice for Liverpool in the League Cup.
"I for one welcomed the chance to play again," said former Spurs and Leicester goalie Walker. "It was good to have the ball flying at me again as I'm hoping to find one more club."
The 38-year-old has been scouting around for a contract in America's Major League soccer but said he would be happy to get a game anywhere in the world - Asia included.
Cole in the meantime wants to stay in the game, and is seriously looking for an opportunity in management. He has also demonstrated a flair for media work and writes a weekly column for British newspaper The Independent.
Following the lead of former England teammate David James, who writes for The Guardian, Cole uses his column to give his take on the football issues of the day. He is forthright in doing that and isn't averse to throwing in an amusing personal insight or two: he says he missed the recent England-Brazil friendly because he fell asleep in front of the telly having been out late the night before.
Cole, who it's probably fair to say is one of the more misunderstood members of the footballing fraternity of recent years, appears to be making a concerted effort to "open up". His work on charitable projects for a UK law firm has raised his profile and he is keen to increase his media work. However, it's the coaching and management side of the game that appeals to him the most.
He reported, through his column, that Sir Alex Ferguson has said he would like to see him involved at United's Carrington training ground before too long. He is working towards getting his first UEFA badge and has worked on an unofficial basis with the strikers at Huddersfield.
It's heartening to see the likes of Andy Cole still involved in football. Some feel today's recently-retired superstars will drift away from the game as they have no need for it financially. Cole insists that money doesn't come into it. On the evidence of last week in Vietnam and Malaysia, he is right.
Catch John Dykes on ESPN's Football Focus every Tuesday (8pm) and First Edition on Friday (9pm)
