- Wayne Rooney, Dimitar Berbatov and Paul Scholes among former Manchester United players to participate in fundraising match against Celtic
- Almost £1 million in revenue has been generated from the match, with all proceeds supporting the charitable work of Manchester United Foundation
- The match ended in a 1-1 draw in 90 minutes, in which Wayne Rooney scored an unbelievable free kick before Celtic prevailed 5-4 in a penalty shoot out
Wayne Rooney, Antonio Valencia, Paul Scholes and more Manchester United legends rolled back the years at Old Trafford to support the charitable work of Manchester United Foundation.
More than 33,000 fans were in attendance at Old Trafford 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 shootout 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 over £5.5 million.
Rooney said: “It was special to be back at Old Trafford 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.”
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.