Soccer Aid 2016: Teams, Celebrities, Date, Time, Live Stream and TV Info
The biannual Soccer Aid Match will take place at Old Trafford on Sunday, pitting a team of English legends and celebrities against a collective made up of World all-stars.
ITV will broadcast the match, scheduled to start at 8 p.m. BST (3 p.m. ET), while a live stream will be available via ITV Live.
Here's a look at the players who will be featured, with star footballers of the past and present and a host of celebrities making up both sides, via the event's official Twitter account:
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The big question ahead of the match remains whether or not Jose Mourinho will take charge of the England team. It would mark Mourinho's first appearance at the Old Trafford dugout since becoming Manchester United manager, and on Thursday, reports surfaced the Special One would rather reserve the occasion for a United match.
Per Simon Bajkowski of the Manchester Evening News, the organisation insists he will be on the bench, but even if he isn't, the England team should be in good hands. Sunderland's Sam Allardyce is ready to take charge:
"Honoured to now be managing the @socceraid England team at Old Trafford! Can't wait for Sunday @UNICEF_uk
— Sam Allardyce (@OfficialBigSam) June 2, 2016"
The World team certainly features a host of illustrious names, starting at the top with manager Claudio Ranieri. The Italian guided Leicester City to an unlikely Premier League title during the 2015-16 campaign, and he and One Direction-member Niall Horan will guide an impressive squad on Sunday.
Brazilian football legend Ronaldinho and former United star Dimitar Berbatov will provide plenty of attacking firepower, while a defence including the likes of Fabio Cannavaro, Jaap Stam and Cafu will be tough to score on.
Fans will be hoping Ronaldinho still has some old magic left in his boots, as his tricks are the stuff of legend. Here's a look at some of his top highlights:
The England team also isn't short on talent, highlighted by former Arsenal goalkeeper David Seaman and Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher. In Sunderland's Jermain Defoe, the team will even field an in-form active player who just scored 15 goals in the past Premier League season, per WhoScored.com.
Among England's celebrity players will be Horan's One Direction colleague Louis Tomlinson, a regular in these kind of charity matches. Fans probably haven't forgotten what happened to him when he ran into Gabriel Agbonlahor during a similar event in 2013, via football commentator Ian Abrahams:
Per talkSPORT, the Aston Villa man received a mountain of abuse from Tomlinson's fans on social media after the incident, so the players on the World team best avoid any serious challenges altogether.
Other major stars include Damian Lewis, John Bishop and Gareth Thomas. All proceeds will go to Unicef. For more info on Soccer Aid, be sure to check out their official website.
