A bizarre mixture of footballing superheroes and random celebrities came together in west London to witness Ronaldinho's coronation as the best player on the planet.
The Brazilian star was guest of honour at the inaugural FIFPro awards in Shepherd's Bush as he picked up his world player of the year gong, voted for by fellow professionals from around the globe.
With barely a dozen footballers - including Barcelona's Samuel Eto'o and Manchester United duo Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney - making it to the glitzy dinner, the organisers turned to the world of showbiz to bolster the numbers.
Actress Minnie Driver and pop star Rachel Stevens kept the snappers busy on the red carpet, while autograph hunters leaned over the barriers of a makeshift stand with pens at the ready.
Charlton left-back Chris Powell looked slightly out of place next to the likes of Ronaldinho, but a sneaky peek at the table plan found him sitting next to England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson.
A cunning move by Powell to boost his hopes of a shock international recall perhaps?
Another person quick to make a beeline for Eriksson was TV presenter Eamonn Holmes, who was keen to boast about Northern Ireland's shock win over England.
The Ulsterman was won over by the under-fire manager, telling BBC Sport: "Sven said to me that Northern Ireland had very nice people who made him feel very welcome."
Along the red carpet it was strange to see grizzled football journalists, waiting to interview Rooney, being asked if they wanted a quick word with model Jerry Hall.
Wave after wave of celebs walked past without being asked a single question by the bored-looking press pack.
PR girls tried to drum up interest in pop group Liberty X and Hollywood star Anthony LaPaglia, who received a loud chorus of "who?" from the assembled journos as he slunk by.
One man keen to interview Liberty X was Tubes from Sky TV programme Soccer AM.
Famed for asking footballers silly questions, this time he had his sights firmly trained on Michelle Heaton from the reality TV pop group.
"I asked her if she would go out with me. She said yes and we are going out next week, but then I haven't got her number so I don't think we will be," he said disappointedly.
The girls from Liberty X did not prove to be footballing experts, and one of the highlights of the night came when they were accosted by a Ukrainian TV crew keen to know their thoughts on Andriy Shevchenko.
The three girls had more important things on their minds, and were devastated to find out that Arsenal's Freddie Ljungberg would not be attending.
"I love Freddie," simpered band member Kelli Young.
"I keep seeing that poster of him in his underpants. He is divine," she added, receiving strong nods of approval from band mate Jessica Taylor.
Another pop star with words of wisdom was Blue's Simon Webbe.
The Manchester United fan proclaimed to BBC Sport: "Wayne Rooney is an inspiration and a role model to kids.
"A big-up to Wayne, he plays football on the pitch like he would on the playground."
Perhaps the rarest sighting of all was of former England star Steve McManaman, who jauntily walked up the red carpet seemingly free from the injuries that blighted his career at Manchester City.
He joined former Liverpool team-mate Jamie Redknapp as they made their way into the ceremony, which was hosted by Denise van Outen and Martin Kemp.
It remains to be seen what a global audience of millions will make of Van Outen's Basildon accent and Kemp's dodgy script.
But, either way, it's not often you see the likes of Ronaldinho in Shepherd's Bush.
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I keep seeing that poster of Freddie in his underpants - he is divine
Match of the Day - Post-match interviews