Sam Thompson in tears before joining ex Zara's boyfriend Louis Tomlinson at Soccer Aid
Playing with their football heroes is a dream come true for the stars taking part in Soccer Aid – but raising money for UNICEF is the real prize for stars including and . Since singer created the event in 2006, over £106 million has been raised. alongside his former teammates and Paul Scholes, plus Lionesses , Steph Houghton and Toni Duggan.
Joining them is a cool crew of celebs including , Sam Quek and Tom Grennan. While the World XI team includes , Edwin van der Sar, and Tony Bellew.
Sam has got a dual role: as well as playing on the pitch, he’s also been running and cycling 260 miles to hand-deliver the ball to Old Trafford and raise more money in a challenge called Matchball Mission for Unicef.
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“One of the most special things about Soccer Aid for UNICEF is the togetherness that it brings out,” says Sam, 32. “I’ll never forget being sat at that training dinner table watching the television screens of UNICEF’s great work. People were shedding tears – everyone’s in it together. When we realised we’d helped to raise a record milestone of over £100 million since the game first began, the cheer that went up was bigger than the cheer of winning the actual game, which I think is quite telling.”
Tears also played a part when Sam crossed the finish line on Friday as he delivered the match ball to Old Trafford and got a congratulatory message from Prime Minister Kier Starmer.
He told the it’s “mad” that the Prime Minister said he was “inspiring”. "I can’t believe the prime minister knows my name," Sam said. “I'm on double codeine and paracetamol… I am not going to lie, it hurts a lot," Sam admitted as he walked to a nearby hotel.
The 32 year old, who has already raised over £1.5 million from the challenge, confessed: "I am totally broken - but so happy . The fact this challenge has grabbed everyone’s attention is just so incredible and I have just been blown away!"
And yesterday he was crying again on yesterday as he recalled the feat, telling and : “I’ve gotto stop crying! You’re making me so emotional, so many tears man.”
Soccer Aid host Dermot O’Leary is also returning and says half-time is his favourite part of the match because he gets to play pundit. “You have these special moments, it’s a laugh and you’re watching a game of football and you’re seeing goals,” says the 52-year-old.
Former star Louis lists playing with Ronaldinho as one of his greatest Soccer Aid memories, but for Jill, it’s buddying up with
“He’s my type of player,” grins Jill, 38. “Strong tackles, probably swears a little bit too much, but I love that passion and football aggression!”
Soccer Aid for Unicef 2025 airs on Sunday at 6pm on ITV1. Join The Mirror’s or follow us on , , Apple News,
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