Former Chelsea icon Dennis Wise and Jay Spearing had a heated moment during a legends charity match between Liverpool and Chelsea.
The incident occurred during the friendly game at Anfield on Saturday. The match was organized to raise funds for the LFC Foundation and other charitable organizations such as Forever Reds, Chelsea FC Foundation, and Chelsea Players’ Trust.
The legends game featured many former stars from both clubs, with Liverpool`s team including prominent names like Steven Gerrard, Jerzy Dudek, and Dirk Kuyt.
Chelsea`s side included stars such as Claude Makelele, Florent Malouda, and Ramires.
Liverpool won the match 2-0, with Peter Crouch scoring both goals as a substitute.
Despite the friendly atmosphere of the charity game, tensions rose in the first half when Wise and Spearing collided.
Both Wise and Spearing were known for their combative midfield styles during their professional careers.
Neither player backed down when challenging for the ball in the 27th minute of the match.
Wise, aged 58, reacted angrily to the challenge from Spearing, 36.
The former Chelsea captain, a winner of two FA Cups and a Uefa Cup Winners’ Cup, confronted Spearing after the incident.
Wise and Spearing engaged in a face-to-face confrontation, with Wise wagging his finger at Spearing as words were exchanged, before players from both teams intervened.
Eventually, the referee intervened to separate the two players, and the friendly match continued.
Spearing made 55 appearances for Liverpool after progressing through their youth academy.
He departed Liverpool for Bolton in 2013 and later played for Blackpool and Tranmere. In 2022, he returned to Liverpool to take on a player-coach role with the club`s youth teams.
Wise began his career at Wimbledon in 1985, winning the FA Cup three years later.
In 1990, he became Chelsea’s record signing for £1.6million and went on to play 446 games for the club.
Wise, who represented England 21 times, also played for Leicester, Millwall, Southampton, and Coventry before retiring in 2006.
After retiring as a player, Wise managed Millwall and later took on full-time managerial roles at Swindon Town and Leeds.
He also held executive positions at Newcastle and Italian club Como.
