Frankie Dettori v Wayne Rooney: legendary rider announced for Soccer Aid

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Frankie Dettori has been announced as one of the World XI's players for Soccer Aid 2026, ten years after 20-time champion jump jockey Tony McCoy took part.

The jockey, 55, retired from the saddle after winning the first leg of Brazil's Triple Crown in February and will be swapping his riding gear for football boots to take part in the high-profile charity football match on May 31.

Dettori will join former professional footballers Jordi Alba and Leonardo Bonucci and all-time great sprinter Usain Bolt as part of the team taking on England in the hopes to retain their crown from last year at Old Trafford, when they won an exciting match ending 5-4. 

The England team is set to include Wayne Rooney, Jermain Defoe and Jill Scott as the two teams go head-to-head at the London Stadium in the Queen Elizabeth II Olympic Park in Stratford.

Frankie Dettori (left) and Kia Joorabchian in the paddock at NewmarketCredit: Edward Whitaker

The event is in aid of leading children's organisation UNICEF UK and Soccer Aid has raised more than £121 million for the charity.

Although out of action professionally, Dettori has been spotted on racecourses in his new role as global brand ambassador for Kia Joorabchian's ownership enterprise Amo Racing.

Dettori is not the first former jockey to take part in the charity match after McCoy played at Old Trafford in 2016, little more than a year after he had bowed out from his extraordinary career at Sandown.

Two sporting greats: Sir AP McCoy meets Pele during Soccer Aid 2016 at Old TraffordCredit: Karwai Tang (WireImage)

McCoy, an avid Arsenal fan like Dettori, came on in the 78th minute on that occasion in a game that featured footballing A-listers including Ronaldinho, Cafu and Edgar Davids. He ended up on the losing Rest of the World team and summed up his performance after: "I would say the opposite to what Aidan O'Brien might say – lacks natural talent but tries hard."

Read more . . .

'I've made a million mistakes' - Frankie Dettori recalls the highs and lows of his extraordinary career in a straight-talking interview 

Frankie Dettori gets to work for Amo at Doncaster as Maureen Haggas reveals a surprising twist to her spat with Zac Purton 

Frankie Dettori's bankruptcy extended after court hears of failure to provide full disclosure of assets 

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