Sam Thompson loving new role as he coaches ex Zara's new man Louis Tomlinson
Sam Thompson is relishing his new role as Soccer Aid coach and bossing the team around after he was forced to pull out of playing in the charity match. The I'm A Celebrity favourite helped raise over £1million by completing a gruelling 261-mile five-day challenge for Unicef but injured his calf in the process.
It means he'll be on the sidelines for tomorrow's game. 'I'll putting my two pence in,' vowed Sam. 'I might be shouting 'I think we might need to change it to a 4-2-3-1.' But we'll have to wait and see. If Tom Grennan 's looking a little bit leggy, I might have to hook him off. Obviously that will have to go via Tyson Fury. I'm quite small, he's quite tall, so getting into his ear is gonna be a bit tough, but I'm gonna give it a go. I might get power drunk and then just be like, 'Tyson, take a back seat.' And he's gonna be like, 'Sam, sit down.''
Sam was told he could no longer play in the match after being assessed by a medic. He was lined up to play for England - alongside Louis Tomlinson. All eyes have been on the pair and their awkward interactions after Louis started dating Sam's ex Zara McDermott. Sam has insisted there are "no hard feelings" between the guys.
Sam, 32, and former Love Islander Zara, 28, called time on their five-year relationship shortly before Christmas. Zara is said to have moved on with One Direction singer Louis, 33, in March.
Ahead of the charity match, Sam took part in a gruelling challenge, running and cycling 260 miles, delivering the match ball from Stamford Bridge to Old Trafford. His journey was documented for ITV One's Sam Thompson's Match Ball Mission for Soccer Aid.
Sam said his challenge has changed his outlook on life, likening it to therapy and say it's made him more grateful for everything he's got. 'It's the most important thing I've done in my 32 years of life," he said. "Getting to go to Guatemala, getting to see what UNICEF do on the ground, it's just life changing. The past four months have been a whirlwind. There's so much that's happened in that space of time. While their lives have remained the exact same.
'I left a lot out on that road. I remember at the end of Thursday, I went silent for an hour and a half on the bike. And that's weird for me. I was really struggling. I just cried on the bike as I was cycling. You really realise why we were all there and what we were doing. It's the quietest I've ever been.'
Soccer Aid for UNICEF 2025 will take place tomorrow at Old Trafford, Manchester and will be shown live exclusively on ITV1, ITVX, STV and STV Player. Donate to UNICEF ahead of the match at socceraid.org.uk/donate. This year, thanks to the Children's Investment Fund Foundation, every donation you make to Soccer Aid for UNICEF will be doubled – up to £5 million.
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