Danny Dyer has said he hopes the England team can secure victory at Soccer Aid this weekend if they “look after” and “rely on each other”.
The former EastEnders star, 45, is joining Paddy McGuinness, Liam Payne, Scarlette Douglas, Bugzy Malone and former England women’s footballer and queen of the jungle Jill Scott on the squad.
Dyer said he is excited about making his debut at the charity football match on Sunday so he can pretend to be a footballer for a few days after he may have “missed the boat slightly”.
Ahead of the event, he told the PA news agency: “I always watch this. I think this is an amazing event. I think Unicef is such an incredible charity and to be part of that and raising money is very important.
“But to pretend to be a footballer for four days, I mean I’m 45 now, so I may have missed the boat slightly but I’d like to think we can win it. We’re going to win it this year.”
The actor admitted he is hoping he can “keep his nerves” while on the pitch and have a standout point.
He said: “The thing about football is it’s all improvisation, you can’t plan it in your head, you can’t rehearse it so you never quite know what’s going to happen.”
With the World XI squad having won the past four tournaments, Dyer said he is determined for the England team to succeed this year.
“You’ve got to come into this as a team, you’ve got to look after each other, rely on each other, and hopefully we can succeed,” he said.
Rapper Stormzy will lead the 2023 England management team, alongside Line Of Duty actress Vicky McClure, Harry Redknapp, Emma Hayes and David Seaman.
Former Olympic sprinter Usain Bolt will captain the World XI team, with comedians Mo Gilligan and Lee Mack, Love Island star Tommy Fury and Dragons’ Den star Steven Bartlett among the players, while Martin Compston and Robbie Keane take on managerial roles.
Line Of Duty star Compston said the event is a “dream scenario” for him, adding: “We all dream about (this) since we were wee boys.
“Watching Robbie (Keane) growing up and all these amazing players.
“You just try and take it in because before you know it, it is gone and you never know if you’re going to get that call back again so you’re just trying to enjoy it.”
Bartlett said playing at Old Trafford was his “childhood dream” as he has been a Manchester United fan since he was a child.
He said: “Conversations and football have always been a big part of what makes me fulfilled in life.
“I’ve been playing football since I was very young but I’ve also been oddly curious about very deep subject matters since I was very young as well so there’s similarities I guess but the through line is using fun to raise awareness for good causes.”
Since the concept was co-founded by Robbie Williams in 2006, Soccer Aid has raised more than £75 million to help children all over the world.
Soccer Aid for Unicef 2023 takes place on June 11 at Manchester United’s Old Trafford, with tickets available at
socceraid.org.uk/tickets
.