Sam Thompson cries ahead of Soccer Aid with ex Zara's new love Louis Tomlinson
Sam Thompson gets emotional ahead of Soccer Aid which will see him play on the same team as ex-love Zara McDermott's new boyfriend Louis Tomlinson
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 Sam Thompson and Louis Tomlinson. Since singer Robbie Williams created the event in 2006, over £106 million has been raised. This year's match takes place at Old Trafford and will see Wayne Rooney playing for England alongside his former Manchester United teammates Gary Neville and Paul Scholes, plus Lionesses Jill Scott, Steph Houghton and Toni Duggan.
Joining them is a cool crew of celebs including Paddy McGuinness, Sam Quek and Tom Grennan. While the World XI team includes Richard Gadd, Edwin van der Sar, Martin Compston 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.
'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 Mirror 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 This Morning yesterday as he recalled the feat, telling Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley: '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 One Direction star Louis lists playing with Ronaldinho as one of his greatest Soccer Aid memories, but for Jill, it's buddying up with Football Factory star Danny Dyer that makes her day.
'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!'
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Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Sam Thompson and Louis Tomlinson set for awkward encounter THIS weekend at Soccer Aid - three months after it was revealed One Direction star was dating his ex Zara McDermott
Sam Thompson is set for an awkward encounter with Louis Tomlinson at Soccer Aid this Sunday - three months after the One Direction singer started dating Sam's ex Zara McDermott. The men will be on the same England team for Unicef - the same charity Sam completed a 260-mile five-day long marathon for on Friday. And while Sam has insisted there are 'no hard feelings', the encounter is bound to sting a little. Sam, 32, and former Love Islander Zara, 28, confirmed they had ended their relationship in January after more than five years together. Zara moved on pretty quickly with singer Louis, 33, with the smitten couple appearing inseparable since their romance was made public in March. They have enjoyed a loved-up getaway to Costa Rica together after Louis flew his new flame out to the island first-class. Meanwhile I'm A Celeb winner Sam has moved on with Love Island beauty Samie Eilshi, 25. After their blossoming romance was confirmed when they shared a steamy kiss in Mayfair last month, speculation of a split grew after Samie was noticeably absent from Sam's highly-publicised challenge for Soccer Aid last week. Such rumours have since been squashed however, with their romance reportedly going from strength to strength as they 'love spending time together on their days off', a source close to the couple told MailOnline. During an episode of their podcast Staying Relevant's last month, Pete Wicks, 37, teased Sam about the prospect of the potentially awkward encounter between him and Louis. The TOWIE star asked his co-host: 'You're really going through it with the whole f****** body and dieting and training loads. Is that for Soccer Aid?' Sam laughed and assured he's 'loving it' but 'no, it's not' for the game, to which Pete continued: 'Are you sure it's not for Soccer Aid? How are you feeling? You're playing again. Must be really exciting.' He added: 'How do you feel about the line up? Do you think you've got a strong team?' Awkwardly laughing, Sam replied: 'Got a really strong team'. But, not dropping the subject, Pete then asked: 'Any kind of people in there who you're looking forward to playing with?' 'Loads,' Sam laughed: 'Tom Grennan. I'm really looking forward to playing alongside Wayne Rooney, Tyson Fury's the manager. I can't wait'. Pete joked: 'I mean that's gonna be f****** amazing. Make sure you get him on side though because you may need him in your corner in case you fall out with anyone. Not that you will but just in case there's any rivalries or anything. 'You know, you have to train together and it's a lot, you know when you're kind of in close quarters with someone like that. All sorts gets brought up. Anyway...' Sam and Louis will join the likes of Tyson Fury, Jill Scott, Grennan and Paddy McGuinness in the star-studded squad, while Wayne Rooney will step out of retirement as one of the managers. However, whilst he is assured to be in attendance, Sam's ability to take part in the match itself is doubtful after he suffered an agonising ankle injury during his journey from London to Manchester on bike and foot last week. The former I'm A Celeb winner suffered the injury on the marathon's first day, but managed to power through five further days before reaching the finish line on Friday. Having raised more than £1.5million for Unicef and battled through a torn calf, the 32-year-old couldn't hide his emotions after completing his mission as he collapsed to the floor in tears. Speaking after the challenge, Sam said: 'My legs have completely gone but I feel good. I'm so grateful for everyone being here, I didn't think anyone would turn up. 'To everyone who has donated, I've said it before but I'll say it a million times, you are so heroic. The money will help so many children, I'm so grateful.' Sam may now have more time to pursue his romance with Samie, who recently opened up about their relationship for the first time. Sam first met Samie, who appeared on Love Island in 2023 and returned to the All Stars series this year, through his presenting role on Aftersun. Samie spoke about the blossoming relationship for the first time during an appearance on the Chloe Mediumship podcast. The show is hosted by a psychic medium and in the episode, the beauty revealed how she's previously had negative gut feelings in past relationships. She explained: 'I've had gut feelings with guys before. I've had a couple of relationships where I've known it was never it. Like this is gonna come to an end, I'll have something telling me every day it's coming to an end, this isn't for you. 'You put it to the back of your mind and then you start noticing the chaos increase. It's like the universe saying I'm gonna blow you both up if you just do not separate. Then I'm like if I only I listened all those months ago when I got that first message.' Then, host Chloe asked: 'Obviously, you don't have to talk about it too much but the guy you're currently speaking to, do you have that gut feeling? Like do you think it's gonna be really good?' Keeping her cards close to her chest, the former Love Islander replied: 'There's been no bad stuff at the minute so yeah I suppose it is all positive right now. It's early days.' Zara and Louis sparked relationship speculation at the start of this year before going public in March, three months after MailOnline revealed Zara and ex-boyfriend Sam had parted ways. Despite his heartache over Zara moving on so quickly, sources close to Sam exclusively told MailOnline at the time he holds no grudges against Louis over the new romance. A source close to the star said: 'Sam has no hard feelings towards Louis, that's for sure. 'As far as he's concerned, Louis is Zara's new man and he's just got to accept it. 'He's a positive guy and will just move on from this, throwing himself into work and getting stuck into the exciting projects he's got coming up. 'Obviously he was sad when their relationship broke up and, like anyone, when your ex moves so quickly it's tough. And if he was both angry and devastated, that would be understandable. 'But he's not sitting around wallowing in self pity, far from it.' Zara and Sam were together for five years before they split at the end of 2024 shortly after the Made In Chelsea favourite worked in Australia for I'm A Celeb spinoff show Unpacked. This year's Soccer Aid for Unicef match airs on the evening of Sunday 15 June on ITV1 and ITVX from Old Trafford, Manchester.
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Erik ten Hag 'tried to cancel disastrous Man Utd transfer' but was ignored
Antony will go down as one of the worst Manchester United transfers in recent memory after failing to justify his £85m price tag - and a recent report has claimed ex-manager Erik ten Hag never wanted him in the first place Former Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag reportedly tried to stop the club signing Antony for £85million in 2022 despite previously working with the Brazilian at old club Ajax. However, it's claimed the club ignored him because they were worried Arsenal would swoop. Ten Hag bought two players with him from the Amsterdam club when he arrived three years ago, with Antony joining Lisandro Martinez, while fellow Dutchman Tyrell Malacia signing from Feyenoord. Last year he signed his old Ajax defender Matthijs de Ligt. But Antony in particular struggled to repay that huge transfer fee and was heavily criticised over his inconsistent performances. In his first two seasons in the Premier League, he managed five goals and three assists. This season, he failed to start a game in the top flight under Ten Hag before he was sacked in October. Things didn't improve under his successor Ruben Amorim, who sent him on loan to Real Betis in January and he now looks set to leave the club in the near future after a hugely successful spell with the La Liga side - which just added to questions of whether it was the Brazilian or the culture at Old Trafford that was the issue. Now it's claimed Ten Hag never wanted to bring Antony to United in the first place and attempted to pull the breaks on the transfer, despite previous suggestions he was key to the move happening. The claim also suggests United pushed through with the move after learning Arsenal were set to make an approach for the player - but Ten Hag still supported him and tried to help him during his time at the club. Kees Vos, the co-founder of Ten Hag's agency, wrote in the book ' Liverpool and the Dutch': "Ten Hag and Vos were not in favour of this and wanted to stop the transfer. "But the club wanted to push through at all costs, because Arsenal was also interested in Antony. The risk of a stronger competitor would be great. Ultimately, Manchester United paid almost €100million for Antony. "Although Ten Hag did not support this transfer, it stuck with him throughout his entire time in Manchester that he took over the attacker from Ajax for this ill-fated amount, who was never able to fulfil his promise." Antony has been a much bigger success in La Liga, where he has scored nine goals and provided two assists and has become a much-loved member of the squad under new boss Manuel Pellegrini. Betis are hoping to sign him permanently this summer and Antony has previously spoken about how he has a smile on his face again after struggling with his mental health at United. In an emotional interview last month, Antony broke down in tears as he revealed he went days without eating and locked himself in his room. Speaking to TNT Sports Brazil, he said: "(Betis) changed a lot because i needed to find myself, because of everything I went through in my personal life. As I said, I wanted to do things, but they didn't see to work out because I wasn't happy, I didn't feel that desire to play football, and I needed to find myself and be happy again because playing football was always something I loved. "I went through difficult times [at United] when I no longer felt that pleasure. I even always told my brother, I told him that I couldn't take it anymore. [My brother] told me to hold on a little longer, that things were going to change. It even made me emotional, because they were very hard days for me." Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Real Betis want further talks with Man United over a deal for Antony - as LaLiga side propose ANOTHER loan with a £35m option to buy
Real Betis want further talks with Manchester United over a proposed deal for winger Antony following his successful loan spell. Betis are proposing another loan with option to buy around £35million. The Brazilian failed to live up to the £86m fee the Red Devils paid Ajax for his services in 2022, providing just 12 goals and five assists in 96 games at Old Trafford. Yet a brief sojourn in Seville in the second half of the season seems to have reinvigorated the player, who came up with 14 contributions in 26 appearances - just five shy of his entire United tally in nearly a quarter of the time. However that could come to help United this summer as they look to move him on, and an upturn in form appears to have reminded potential suitors that there is at least a talented attacker still in Antony. The 25-year-old played a crucial role in Betis' resurgence in the second half of the campaign and starred in their run to the Conference League final, where they suffered a 4-1 defeat by Chelsea. Following the loss, Antony posted an emotional farewell message to Real Betis and thanked them for helping him rediscover his 'joy'. Narrating over a series of highlight clips from his time at the club, he said: 'Today one of the most beautiful chapters of my life closes. And before I turn the last page, I need to tell you why you were and always will be so special to me. 'Since I was little, football wasn't just a dream or my only chance to change my life. As many people say. For me, it was much more than that. It was my joy. 'While others saw football as a way out, I saw it as a way to reach my destination. The only place where I felt complete. I counted the minutes until I could chase the ball. 'Playing wasn't an escape. It was destiny. It was pure happiness. Life took me far from the favela to the world. I left Brazil, played in Holland, in England, stopped being just a kid, and became a father. Many things changed. 'But football, football was always there. It was always my refuge. Until one day, everything fell apart. From heaven to hell. The ball stopped coming in. The joy faded. My world turned dark. And I began to doubt myself, my talent, my passion for football. 'And that's when football gave me something else: you. When I arrived here, I didn't know what to expect. But not even in my wildest dreams did I imagine finding what I found. From my first step at this club, I felt something different. 'It was like coming home, like reconnecting with a part of me I thought I'd lost. With you, I smiled again. With you, I became that kid again. The one who loved football with all my heart. With you, football became love again. True love. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Antony Santos (@antony00) Speaking after the Conference League final, Antony admitted he was unsure over his future 'Thank you for opening the doors to me as if I were one of the family. Thank you for giving me back the joy of playing. Thank you for reminding me why I fell in love with this game. My home. My people. Mucho Betis. Always.' Quizzed on his future after Betis' 4-1 defeat by Chelsea in the Conference League final in Wroclaw, Antony admitted he was still none the wiser. 'I don't what will happen in the future, only God knows,' he told CBS Sports. 'My work is playing and I'm doing that well. I have a lot of affection for Betis, for everyone, but I have a contract with United and I don't know what's going to happen. 'Now I will go to the national team and then on holiday then we will see what happens in the future. I'm very happy here, everyone knows that but I have a contract.'
