Barcelona and Man City played a friendly in middle of the season

 European powerhouses play to a 3-3 draw, but the game was intended to raise money and awareness for ALS, a condition that Pep Guardiola's close friend and former Barcelona player and coach Unzue has been diagnosed with.

The Champions League would often be the venue for a midweek matchup between two European powerhouses, but on Wednesday night, Barcelona and Manchester City played a friendly match that finished in a 3-3 draw.

Given that clubs rarely play friendly games in the middle of a league season, the timing and intent of the match sparked quite a few questions. But this match involved more than just football.

To promote the funding of the hunt for an ALS cure, this game was played. The life expectancy is four to five years for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a degenerative neurodegenerative illness for which there is currently no cure.

Juan Carlos Unzue, a former assistant manager at Barcelona and a personal friend of Pep Guardiola, the former Catalan giants' manager and current Manchester City manager, was given an ALS diagnosis in 2020.

Unzue started the game in front of 91,062 spectators in an emotional moment at Camp Nou, and he even spoke to the Barcelona players in the locker room.

"I want to congratulate Manchester City and Barcelona first. I want to express my gratitude to everyone who attended, purchased a ticket, and made a donation. Everyone who is battling the illness," the former Barcelona star reportedly said, according to Spanish media.

"The artist here is Unzué, who made this happen, because of his tenacity and all of his people pushing and pushing to accomplish it," Guardiola remarked following the game. It was a lovely summer night, the stadium was packed, and it was an entertaining game with six goals and chances for both teams. Congratulations.”

The two clubs will now concentrate on their respective national leagues. Barcelona, led by Xavi, has won one and drew one of its first two La Liga games.

Manchester City lost points for the first time this season despite going unbeaten in their previous three games after being held to a 3-3 draw by Newcastle United.