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Nobes to say goodbye at Soccer Aid

Mark Noble is set to say goodbye to the London Stadium when he plays for England at Soccer Aid.

The charity game, between an England side and a Rest of the World XI, is set to be played at the Hammers’ ground next month.

Nobes, of course, is set to retire at the end of the season and his final competitive game at home is set to take place this weekend, when the Irons face Manchester City.

The 35-year-old, though, will be back on the pitch on June 12 for the fixture, which raises money for Unicef.

Noble will have a variety of familiar faces alongside him, too.

Former Hammers boss Harry Redknapp is set to manage England, with Joe Cole, David James, and Teddy Sheringham all ex-Hammers who are also playing.

Arsene Wenger will manage the opposition, with the likes of Andriy Shevchenko and Cafu playing for them.

Nobes never won an official England cap but he has revealed his excitement at pulling on the shirt.

Quoted by the Evening Standard, he said: “I was touched when Soccer Aid for UNICEF invited me to play for England.

“Playing for your country is the greatest honour for any professional athlete – and Sunday 12 June will be no different for me, or for my kids who are big Soccer Aid fans! Add to that the fact this is for such a special cause and I can’t wait to run out in front of 60,000 fans at the London Stadium one last time. It will be an emotional day, for sure – but I want you all to share it with me.

“Of course, this isn’t about me though – it’s about raising as much money for UNICEF as we possibly can. That was £13m last year and we want to go beyond that this summer. The match is well on its way to being sold out, so buy your tickets now and support this great cause.”

 

About Dave Langton

A journalist with 10 years' experience of working on National newspapers, now chief reporter covering the club that I've loved since I was a boy. Upton Park remains the greatest football stadium ever built.

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