Harry Redknapp has revealed his plans to quit Soccer Aid after almost 20 years, noting that he would rather "bow out" when things are going well rather than waiting for his team to lose. The 79-year-old sports star has been involved with the annual charity event, which has raised millions for UNICEF UK, since 2008. After recently leading England to victory against the Soccer Aid World XI, he admitted he will take a step back sooner rather than later.
The former I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! star has acted as Manager and Coach for various teams made up of former players and celebrities over the years. He would rather quit amid a successful period instead of waiting until things start to go wrong for his team. He told The Sun: "I think I'll probably retire myself off. I think I'd better get rid of me now, yeah. We won this year so you know, that might be it for me. I'll bow out. Best to go out at the top rather than being booted out for getting beat again or something."
Teaming Up with Bradley Walsh
This year, Harry, who has managed Tottenham, West Ham, QPR, and Birmingham during his lengthy football management career, teamed up with The Chase star Bradley Walsh to choose the England squad. The team included actors Chris O'Dowd and Damson Idris, along with former England striker Jermain Defoe, among others. Speaking about working with Bradley, who has become one of the UK's most famous television presenters after appearing in Coronation Street in the early 2000s, Harry was full of praise but joked he would have rather been on the inside when it came to the World Cup. He said: "Me and Bradley were like a dream team. We picked the winning team between us. Bradley was fantastic and just having a few days with Bradley was worth all the money. It would be lovely to be in on the action for the World Cup, but I had Soccer Aid instead!"
Record-Breaking Fundraising
This year, the annual charity football match raised a staggering £16.5 million for the children's aid organisation. The match, created by Robbie Williams and Jonathan Wilkes in 2006, aims to raise millions for UNICEF every year but has never raised as much as it did this year. By raising over £16 million, the celebrities taking part have increased the total ever raised from the event to £137 million. The grand total was revealed in the last few moments before Soccer Aid went off air, in an announcement made by Robbie, who also performed his song "Feel" for the halftime performance.
Over £1 million of the total amount was raised by Olly Murs. The singer had taken on a mammoth challenge that involved cycling, rowing, and running the 400 km distance from Old Trafford to the London Stadium. Prior to the match beginning, Tom Hiddleston revealed on air that Olly had raised £1,342,214 for the total pot.
The rest of the funds were raised throughout the event, including the build-up to kick-off. Tom Hanks and Tim Allen came out to the pitch to deliver the football and revealed that before play had even begun, the event had raised over £4.6 million. Tim delighted fans as he said his Toy Story character Buzz Lightyear's catchphrase: "To infinity and beyond!"
Celebrity Moments
Roughly 15 minutes before the teams headed out, GK Barry caught up with Tom Hanks and Tim Allen, with the latter catching many off guard with his comments. While stood in the tunnel, upon GK Barry asking for their attention, the latter stated: "I'm just b****ing about penalty shots." The comment went unacknowledged by ITV, despite airing pre-watershed. As Americans, the pair aren't used to European football. Tim continued to say he was going to "try to work out how you win or lose a game on a penalty shot." Tom, who said he did have some knowledge of the UK game, jokingly hit back: "You cannot use your hands."
Soccer Aid celebrated its 20th anniversary with a massive showdown at the London Stadium. The fixture occurs every year and its mission is to raise vital funds for UNICEF while bringing together a unique mix of world-class football legends and beloved celebrities.
