Beckham and Gerrard confirmed for tsunami relief game
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David Beckham, Thierry Henry and Steven Gerrard are among the 50 players confirmed for Fifa's "Football for Hope" benefit match in aid of the Asian tsunami victims.
Barcelona's Nou Camp will host a match between a team captained by the Fifa World Player of the Year, Ronaldinho, and one led by the winner of the European award, the Milan striker Andrei Shevchenko, on 15 February. Shevchenko's European XI will be coached by the Italy coach, Marcello Lippi, and the Arsenal manager, Arsène Wenger. The World XI, led by Barcelona's Ronaldinho, will have the Brazil national team coach, Carlos Alberto Parreira, and the Barça manager, Frank Rijkaard, at the helm.
The Italian legend Roberto Baggio is the only retired player invited to play and he will be joined in Shevchenko's European side by Henry, Gerrard, Beckham, Pavel Nedved, Francesco Totti and Zinedine Zidane. Ronaldinho will line up with some of the world's best players from outside Europe such as Chelsea's Didier Drogba as well as his compatriots Ronaldo and Kaka.
There will be a significant English club influence on the match with Manchester United's Gabriel Heinze, Bolton's Radhi Jaidi, Leeds' Lucas Radebe, Blackburn's Brett Emerton and Everton's Li Tie invited to take part. Proceeds will be donated to the Fifa/AFC Tsunami Solidarity Fund, which has been set up jointly by world football's governing body and the Asian Football Confederation.
SHEVCHENKO XI SQUAD: Goalkeepers: G Buffon (Juventus & Italy), I Casillas (Real Madrid & Spain). Defenders: K Kaladze (Milan & Georgia), C Karembeu (Servette & France), V Kompany (Anderlecht & Belgium), P Maldini (Milan & Italy), C Puyol (Barcelona & Spain), J Stam (Milan & Netherlands), L Thuram (Juventus & France). Midfielders/Attackers: R Baggio (Italy), M Ballack (Bayern Munich & Germany), D Beckham (Real Madrid & England), Deco (Barcelona & Portugal), A Del Piero (Juventus & Italy), S Gerrard (Liverpool & England), T Henry (Arsenal & France), P Nedved (Juventus & Czech Republic), Raul (Real Madrid & Spain), S Semak (CSKA Moscow & Russia), A Shevchenko (Milan & Ukraine), F Totti (Roma & Italy), P Vieira (Arsenal & France), J Vogel (PSV Eindhoven & Switzerland), Z Zidane (Real Madrid & France). Coaches: M Lippi (Italy national team) & A Wenger (Arsenal).
RONALDINHO XI SQUAD: Goalkeepers: Dida (Milan & Brazil), I Kameni (Espanyol & Cameroon). Defenders: Cafu (Milan & Brazil), I Cordoba (Internazionale & Colombia), Cris (Lyon & Brazil), G Heinze (Man United & Argentina), R Jaidi (Bolton & Tunisia), S Kuffour (Bayern Munich & Ghana), Lucio (Bayern Munich & Brazil), R Marquez Alvarez (Barcelona & Mexico), L Radebe (Leeds & South Africa), J Zanetti (Internazionale & Argentina). Midfielders/Attackers: Adriano (Internazionale & Brazil), D Buckley (Arminia Bielefeld & South Africa), E Cambiasso (Internazionale & Argentina), D Cha (Eintracht Frankfurt & South Korea), D Drogba (Chelsea & Ivory Coast), B Emerton (Blackburn & Australia), M Essien (Lyon & Ghana), S Eto'o (Barcelona & Cameroon), Juninho (Lyon & Brazil), Kaka (Milan & Brazil), L Tie (Everton & China), M Mahdavikia (Hamburg & Iran), O Martins (Inter & Nigeria), H Nakata (Fiorentina & Japan), Ronaldo (Real Madrid & Brazil), Ronaldinho (Barcelona & Brazil). Coaches: C A Parreira (Brazil national team) & F Rijkaard (Barcelona).
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