Mark Noble is to pull on an England shirt for Soccer Aid next month as part of the Three Lions side that takes on a Rest of the World XI in the charity fixture at the London Stadium.
Noble is retiring from the game at the end of the Premier League season in less than a fortnight’s time, with this Sunday’s meeting with league leaders Manchester City set to be his final West Ham outing in front of a home crowd.
However, the 35-year-old will return to the Hammers’ home ground on Sunday, June 12 to line up in the annual fixture, which raises money for UNICEF.
Noble has made over 500 appearances for West Ham over the course of a remarkable one-club career but, despite representing England at age group level, has never been capped by the senior side.
The England team will be managed by former West Ham boss Harry Redknapp, with more ex-Hammers including Joe Cole, David James and Teddy Sheringham in his squad, along with the likes of Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher. One Direction star Liam Payne will captain the side, with Sir Mo Farah and Damian Lewis among the celebrity names confirmed for the match.
Usain Bolt again skippers the opposition, who are managed by Arsene Wenger, with Andriy Shevchenko, Carli Lloyd and Cafu among the former professionals set to feature.
“I was touched when Soccer Aid for UNICEF invited me to play for England,” Noble said. “Playing for your country is the greatest honour for any professional athlete – and Sunday 12 June will be no different for me, or for my kids who are big Soccer Aid fans! Add to that the fact this is for such a special cause and I can’t wait to run out in front of 60,000 fans at the London Stadium one last time. It will be an emotional day, for sure – but I want you all to share it with me.
“Of course, this isn’t about me though – it’s about raising as much money for UNICEF as we possibly can. That was £13m last year and we want to go beyond that this summer. The match is well on its way to being sold out, so buy your tickets now and support this great cause.”
