Emotions ran high at the Camp Nou on Monday evening as Barcelona played host to Chapecoense in the Joan Gamper Trophy.
The match came just nine months after the Brazilian club lost 71 members of their squad and back-room staff in a tragic plane crash en route to Medellin Airport in Colombia.
The only three players to survive the disaster all made special appearances on the pitch in Barcelona, as Neto, Jackson Follman and Alan Ruschel performed a touching ceremonial kick-off.
Ruschel, who suffered severe spinal injuries in the crash, then went on to play the first 35 minutes of the friendly before exiting to a wonderful standing ovation from the 65,000 fans in attendance.
Alan Ruschel, survivor of the Chapecoense plane crash, receiving a standing ovation at the Nou Camp tonight pic.twitter.com/MlsYxjX7SX
â Tomasz Mortimer (@TMortimerFtbl) August 7, 2017
Barca eventually emerged as 5-0 winners on the night, but the heavy scoreline didn't phase Ruschel in the slightest.
Indeed, the 25-year-old was positively glowing after the match after collecting a special souvenir from none other than Lionel Messi:
What a moment.
Lionel Messi swaps shirts with Chapecoense plane crash survivor Alan Ruschel.