Wayne Rooney appointed as England manager for Soccer Aid charity football match

The annual charity football event was started in 2006. Since then, it has raised £38 million for UNICEF.

Former Manchester United star Wayne Rooney is all set to manage England in the Soccer Aid charity football match, due in September at Old Trafford.

Rooney happens to be the all-time leading international goal scorer in the history of England. He is currently a player-coach at Derby. On this special occasion, his current employers have permitted him to temporarily lead the Three Lions against the World XI.

The 34-year old Englishman said that he had always wanted to participate in the Soccer Aid event. Reportedly, Sam Allardyce will be Rooney's co-manager and David Seaman will take up responsibilities as England's goalkeeping coach.

According to BBC, Rooney said, "Previously, I have never been able to make the dates work, but this year was obviously different. I was enormously proud to be asked to manage the England team and although there will be no fans at the match, it is always special to go back to Old Trafford. Simply, representing your country is always a huge honour and this game is no different."

The Soccer Aid match is organised every year to raise money for UNICEF. This year, the event was initially scheduled to take place on June 6, but it got postponed because of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Although it has been decided that the game will happen in September, the final date of the fixture is yet to be announced. This year, the event will be conducted behind closed doors.

Former England internationals David James, Kelly Smith, and Lianne Sanderson, along with former Manchester United and France defender Patrice Evra, are all set to make their Soccer Aid debuts. Some famous non-football names to join the forces are Jason Manford, Santan Dave, Joel Dommett, and James Bay.

Yaya Toure, Wes Brown, Katie Chapman, and Robbie Keane will also return to the football field. Celebrities like Olly Murs, Marvin Humes, Kem Cetinay, and Joe Wicks will also take part in the event.

So far, Soccer Aid has raised over £38 million since its inception in 2006. With the coronavirus crisis affecting everyone around the globe, UNICEF believes that football can bring smiles back to the faces that have seen nothing but sorrow over the last six months.