17:30, 07 September 2024
| by Matthew Brown
Wayne Rooney, Antonio Valencia, Paul Scholes and more Manchester United legends rolled back the years at Old Trafford today – all in order to support the charitable work of Manchester United Foundation.
More than 33,000 fans were in attendance at Old Trafford today [7 September] to see legendary players from Manchester United and Celtic come face-to-face, including an international battle across both sides, with Bulgarians Dimitar Berbatov of United and Stiliyan Petrov of the visitors. And it wasn’t just legendary figures on the pitch, with Bryan Robson and Paul Lambert overseeing proceedings in each dugout.
The game was played at an entertaining pace on a wonderful family occasion at the Theatre of Dreams, as Celtic ran out 5-4 winners in a penalty shoot out after a 1-1 draw in 90 minutes, which saw Wayne Rooney net a wonderful free-kick for United.
It is the sixth time that Manchester United Foundation has been the beneficiary of a fundraising match at Old Trafford played by retired former players, with previous opponents including Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Liverpool.
The match against Celtic has generated almost £1 million in revenue, which will help to support Manchester United Foundation’s work with young people in Greater Manchester and other outreach areas in the United Kingdom.
The conclusion of today’s game means the total amount of funds raised from all six Legends matches is in excess of £5.5 million.
Speaking after the game at Old Trafford, Wayne Rooney said: “It was special to be back at Old Trafford today for the Legends game, and it is all for such a good cause. It was great to play here again.
“Manchester United Foundation is doing a great job and being involved for a long time, seeing the work it does first-hand, any time we can give to try to help, it’s always great to do that. It’s a great cause.
“It is important that we continue to do what we can, when we can, to support the Foundation and continue to put smiles on children's faces.”
Manchester United Foundation Chief Executive John Shiels said: “We’d like to thank our fantastic team of legends for playing so brilliantly in the name of charity.
“We are incredibly thankful to Manchester United fans for supporting our work all year round, but especially so today, when the price of their ticket goes back into our work supporting young people. Through that work, we aim to make this incredible fanbase proud, every single day, and we’ll continue to do that, now with the added benefit of all funds raised from today’s fixture, for which we’re so grateful.”
Manchester United Foundation is the associated charity of Manchester United Football Club and in the 2023/24 season worked with more than 43,000 participants and delivered 112 projects.
The Foundation delivers community outreach and educational programmes to encourage young people to make more positive life choices, with all funds raised from the Legends matches going back into supporting this crucial work.