David Beckham and Rio Ferdinand set to feature in all-star charity football game hosted by Chelsea to aid war-torn Ukraine
Manchester United legends David Beckham and Rio Ferdinand are set to feature in an all-star charity game hosted by Chelsea in aid of war-torn Ukraine.
According to The Sun, the Blues will host the fundraising game just a year removed from their former Russian owner Roman Abramovich selling the club. Beckham and Ferdinand are being lined up to participate in the game on August 5.
Meanwhile, Ukraine will be represented by yheir iconic former Chelsea striker Andriy Shevchenko and current Arsenal left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko. The duo are being tipped to captain the two sides on the day.
The charity that the Game4Ukraine game is raising funds for is Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s United24. A source is quoted as saying:
“Game4- Ukraine is going to be the biggest charity event of the year. As well as a massive match, there is going to be a huge half-time show from a couple of big name stars. It is going to be a stellar event.”
The UK football scene has plenty of successful charity games that take place yearly. Soccer Aid raises funds for UNICEF and is hosted at Manchester United's Old Trafford stadium in June.
The Game4Ukraine match is organised by Lester Holcombe. He was behind the Game4Grenfell game that raised £900,000 for victims of the tower block disaster that occurred in 2017.
David Beckham and Rio Ferdinand are household names, having become icons in English football. The duo won the Premier League title 12 times between them and are in the league's Hall of Fame.
David Beckham played down potential move to Chelsea in 2009
David Beckham played for several European heavyweights during his illustrious career. The iconic winger spent time with Manchester United, Real Madrid, PSG and AC Milan.
It was during his time at Milan that Beckham was linked with a shock move to Chelsea. His Rossonerri manager at the time Carlo Ancelotti was heading to Stamford Bridge.
The famous No.7 was on loan at the San Siro but played down the possibility of joining the Italian coach in West London, tellinh Los Angeles Times in 2009:
"I don't think that's a possibility, to be quite honest. At the end of the day, I'm still contracted to the Galaxy."
Beckham admitted that it was nice to be wanted and appreciated the game time he was handed by Ancelotti:
"I'll be coming back on 11 July to start training and then to finish the MLS season. But it's always nice to be wanted, and Carlo has been amazing to me since I've come to Milan, to play me in as many games as he has. I'm very thankful to him for that."
The former England captain made 33 appearances across competitions for Milan, scoring two goals and providing nine assists. He retired in 2013, last playing for PSG, and has since become owner of MLS side Inter Miami.