Soccer Aid is always full of weird and wonderful sights.
Gary Neville marking Usain Bolt, Lee Mack scoring the winner from the penalty spot – the annual charity football game for UNICEF is packed full of surprises.
And this year’s edition of Soccer Aid is no different, with Ben Foster, who won eight caps for the England national team, bizarrely playing for the World XI instead.
But why exactly is the former Three Lions goalkeeper playing for the World XI and not England at Old Trafford this evening?
Here is everything you need to know.
Why is Ben Foster playing for World XI and not England?
Foster, who came out of retirement to join National League champions Wrexham in March, had originally been down to coach the World XI goalkeepers before the confirmation came that he would instead be taking to the pitch himself.
According to reports, Foster is playing for the World XI simply because he wants to take part in Soccer Aid.
And with David James and Paddy McGuinness occupying the spot between the sticks for England, a place in the World XI squad was Foster’s only hope of playing.
The sight of English natives representing the opposing team is nothing new in the history of Soccer Aid, with Harry Redknapp, who is part of the England management team this year, having coached the World XI in the past.
Boxer Tommy Fury is also playing for the World XI owing to his mother who is of Mauritian descent.
What has Ben Foster said about playing in Soccer Aid?
Foster is delighted to be playing in Soccer Aid after watching the event for several years as a fan.
The 40-year-old told Live Score: ‘Soccer Aid is like an institution now, isn’t it? It’s been going so long and does such good work every year.
‘It just seems like a really nice atmosphere and it’ll be an absolute pleasure to play a part.’
And Foster, whose own YouTube channel ‘The Cycling GK’ has surpassed 1.4 million subscribers, is also relishing the opportunity of lining up alongside some of the biggest celebs in the music, acting and online worlds.
He added: ‘We’re really, really excited for it. I think I’ll find it fairly easy because it’s kind of both of my worlds mixing together in a way.
‘Having played football for the best part of 20 years, I’ve jumped into this new sort of YouTube world.
‘I’ve already done a lot of videos where we’re sort of playing with YouTubers. Now we understand that world, it should be fairly easy for me!’
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