Soccer Aid World XI player ratings: Carlos Tevez and Big Zu steal the show but Ballon d'Or winner humbled by Angry Ginge

The Irish Sun

15-06-2025

IT was the night Angry Ginge took on Rivaldo, and Manchester United fans had an even angrier whinge about old boy Carlos Tevez.
Celebs mixed with footballing legends for sell-out Soccer Aid at
9
Carloz Tevez was the World X1's match-turning four-goal sub
Credit: Shutterstock Editorial
9
Angry Ginge had a sensational all-round game in England's midfield
Credit: AFP
And despite all the big ex-Prem names - with stars like
Here's our verdict on how EVER player fared as
£15,280,163 was raised for
Unicef
.
JOE HART (Goalkeeper) - 9
A quality performance from the Ex-
LOUIS TOMLINSON (Defender) - 8
The most popular man in Old Trafford from start to finish,
READ MORE IN FOOTBALL
What makes Louis beautiful
as a footballer is that he didn't let the occasion get the better of him, he perfected the
Little Things
, being
Ready to Run
down the right and link up with his teammates, he was
Strong
on the ball and tenacious off of it.
He'll no doubt be
Up All Night
dreaming of that almost
Perfect
performance with his footballing career only heading in
One Direction
, up.
BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK
ANGRY GINGE - 10
An insane Micky Van de Ven-like block saved his side early in the first half in what was a sensational performance from the Manchester-born and bred lad.
Most read in Football
Another fan favourite here, and rightly so, slide tackles galore, almost always perfectly timed and comfortable on the ball too.
Westlife star Nicky Byrne makes incredible Soccer Aid double save..
His aerial dominance allowed him to pick up an assist on his home turf from a corner, which Jermain Defoe smashed into the roof of the net to make it 3-0.
Class act.
GARY NEVILLE (Defender) - 9
Solid at the back as he was for his many years playing here in his career.
No nonsense, calm and composed on the ball and showed all of his class and experience in the first half in what was a classy performance from the right-back turned centre-back.
If 'no one wants to grow up to be a Gary Neville' after that showing, I'd urge them to re-watch his Soccer Aid 2025 highlight reel.
Unfortunately for him, he was marginally outshone by Angry Ginge next to him.
TOM GRENNAN (Defender/Midfielder) - 8
After a masterclass performance at Stamford Bridge last year, Tom Grennan proved that he is up there with the
Best a Man Can Get.
Came very close to scoring a thunderbolt from left-back, and put in some crunching tackles in a solid defensive performance for his side.
With the curls in his hair it was a performance reminiscent of Marc Cucurella at Chelsea this season before he moved into an advanced midfielder position in the second half.
ALEX BROOKER (Defender) - 6
By all means, solid at the back on the left side of the pitch for his country.
JACK WILSHERE (Midfielder) - 9
A maestro in the middle, this is a guy who ran the show against prime Iniesta and Xavi when he was 19-years-old and didn't look like he'd aged a bit out there.
A great touch, silky feet and the same eye for a pass he always had.
9
Jack Wilshere saw counterpart Noah Beck give as good as he got
Credit: Getty
9
Jill Scott was also excellent in the England midfield
Credit: PA
JILL SCOTT (Midfielder) - 8
Looked a class above the midfielders for the World XI, with her distribution impeccable and showing great ability on the half-turn too.
The
MICHAEL CARRICK (Midfielder) - 6
A solid showing in midfield for England, but was outshone by the brilliance of Jill Scott and Jack Wilshere alongside him.
Did what was required of him, always moving the ball on quickly and acting as something as a metronome for his side.
BELLA RAMSEY (Winger) - 5
A fairly quiet showing from the left-sided attacker.
Amazing in Game of Thrones though, so who's the real winner? Not me...
JAMES NELSON-JOYCE (Winger) - 5
Didn't particularly stand out.
WAYNE ROONEY (Striker) - 9
It was only right that he opened the scoring with a neat finish into the bottom left corner, which became the fastest goal in Soccer Aid history, much to the delight of the Old Trafford crowd.
9
Wayne Rooney made history with his early opener
Credit: Reuters
SUBS
TONI DUGGAN (Striker) - 9
A superb finish into the bottom left corner in the first half doubled her side's lead with expert timing right before the whistle blew to signal the end of the opening 45.
DENISE LEWIS (Winger) - 5
A hard-working showing from the former athlete who looked every bit as fit as she did in her athletic peak.
MO FARAH (Defender) - 6
Only spent a short time on the pitch this year, but was dependable when he was on.
AARON LENNON (Winger) - 9
Unplayable.
His link-up with Jermain Defoe would have put a smile on the face of any Spurs fan, with his electric pace and quick feet proving impossible for even Billy Wingrove to keep up with.
One of England's best players on the night.
JERMAIN DEFOE (Striker) - 9
A striker's finish followed an expert header from Angry Ginger following a corner after he'd seen his effort saved minutes earlier.
Scored again in the second half, combining brilliantly with Aaron Lennon to become the top goalscorer in Soccer Aid history as he went goal for goal with Carlos Tevez in a thrilling second 45.
STEVEN BARTLETT (Winger) - 5
After starring last year at Stamford Bridge and getting the MOTM award, it was a quieter night for the Huel-fuelled England winger.
Not bad by any means on the left but was looked after for the most part by Nemanja Vidic and John O'Shea.
PHIL JAGIELKA (Defender) - 4
Not a bad showing, but he was unfortunate to come on at the same time as Carlos Tevez, who was quite frankly too hot to handle for any England defender.
PADDY MCGUINNESS (Goalkeeper) - 1
After such a solid showing from Joe Hart it unfortunately fell on the shoulders of Paddy McGuinness to follow that up.
A good effort from the lad and it feels harsh to rate someone so low, but with five goals conceded and failing to stop Big Zuu's winner it's hard to rate him higher.
9
Paddy McGuinness at least held on here as Robbie Keane looked on
Credit: Getty
STEPH HOUGHTON (Defender) - 5
A quiet but solid showing from the England and Man City legend.
SAM QUEK (Midfielder) - 5
Came close to scoring in the second half shortly after coming on, but was unable to do so and couldn't really impact the game much other than that.
ROMAN KEMP (Defender) - 5
Formed a good partnership with Angry Ginge on the right side of the England defence.
SAM THOMPSON (Midfielder) - 7
Came on with just a few minutes to go to a huge applause after pulling out of the game with injury.
Didn't get the fairytale ending to his story he perhaps deserved after his mammoth cycle from Stamford Bridge to Old Trafford, but gets a seven based on his huge fundraising effort and coming onto the pitch to try and help his team in the dying moments.
He'll surely be back next year for revenge.
WORLD XI
EDWIN VAN DER SAR (Goalkeeper) - 4
Failed to claim a deep cross that was whipped into the box in the first half, allowing Wayne Rooney to open the scoring and was then unable to stop Toni Duggan's great finish into the same corner.
Swapped at half-time as the Soccer Aid goalkeepers always are, which made the World XI appreciate how lucky they were to have him in goal in the first half.
TONY BELLEW (Defender) - 5
Replaced within six minutes due to injury by Gorka Marquez, hobbled off the pitch and down the Old Trafford tunnel to great applause.
Soldier.
NEMANJA VIDIC (Defender) - 9
Solid at the back for his side as he was for so many years at Old Trafford, that said, Richard Gadd was no Rio Ferdinand next to him.
Looked good at the back and solid on the ball too when needing to progress it forward, throwing it back to the good old days with a crunching tackle on Steven Bartlett - any market rivals of Huel would've loved that.
9
Majestic World XI centre-back Nemanja Vidic successfully got to grips with former Man Utd team-mate Rooney and Co
Credit: Shutterstock Editorial
RICHARD GADD (Defender) - 4
As the star of Baby Reindeer you'd think he's used to checking his shoulder for someone who might be following him, but that wasn't the case as Toni Duggan ghosted past him to slot home England's second goal.
JOHN O'SHEA (Defender) - 6
Was solid on the right-hand side of defence for his team, and did a job on Steven Bartlett who was man of the match for England at Stamford Bridge last year.
HARRY KEWELL (Defender) - 4
Came off early in the first half in what was a shy performance from the Aussie great.
KHEIRA HAMRAOUI (Midfielder) - 3
A quiet showing from the midfielder who was kept quiet by Jill Scott.
DERMOT KENNEDY (Defender) - 8
Gets bonus points for a simply incredible half-time performance that brought large parts of the Old Trafford crowd to tears - not for the first time this season.
His on-pitch performance wasn't half bad either, with some great touches and strong tackles throughout.
DIAMOND (Winger) - 2
Had a job done on her by the impermeable England defence, the gladiator was crunched early on by Tom Grennan and never looked the same after that.
It was, unfortunately, her poor touch that allowed Wayne Rooney to open the scoring.
RIVALDO (Midfield/Attack) - 3
The Brazilian legend - and former Ballon d'Or winner - once shared a dressing room with R9 Ronaldo and Ronaldinho, taking on the likes of Paolo Maldini in his heyday, but now getting the better of Angry Ginge seemed a step too far.
Showed some silky touches and good passes at times, but was ultimately disappointing for a man who had so much quality in his prime.
9
Rivaldo fended off Toni Duggan here but often struggled
Credit: Shutterstock Editorial
DAVID TREZEGUET (Striker) - 3
A quiet evening from the French striker, didn't create anything and the impact of Carlos Tevez highlighted that more than anything.
SUBS
MAISIE ADAM (Midfielder) - 5
A quiet showing from the comedian.
NOAH BECK (Midfielder) - 9
Taught most of the old folks out there a lesson with incredible feet and a great touch, looking like a natural on the Old Trafford turf.
It's hard to watch him as a man and not pale in insignificance, as he does have it all, from the looks to the footballing ability.
Forced Wayne Rooney and Gary Neville into tactical fouls on the influential midfielder, in an expert showing from start to finish, where he was all over the pitch.
Nicky Byrne (Goalkeeper) - 8
After his introduction at half-time, he had a chaotic start to the match with two incredible stops to deny Jermaine Defoe and Steven Bartlett before avoiding a red card for saving the ball with his hands OUTSIDE the box - a very clever move knowing that he wouldn't be sent off.
When it was all said and done, though, it was a solid performance from the replacement keeper, who managed to concede the same number of goals as Edwin Van der Sar, and may well have won the game for his side with a few of his crucial moments.
Tobjizzle (Midfielder) - 6
Was unable to get the goal he would've liked at his beloved Old Trafford, but a handful for the England defence after coming on and shows flashes of the flair and skill we know he's got in his locker.
Bryan Habana (Winger) - 4
The South-African rugby star didn't make much of an impact.
BILLY WINGROVE (Defender) - 3
Was given a torrid time by Aaron Lennon as he played left-back for the World XI.
Has bags of skill and ability and perhaps would've been better off placed in attack for his side.
CARLOS TEVEZ (Striker) - 10
Wow. This guy is a joke.
Carlos Tevez and his bulldog-like approach have still got it.
The man who became an enemy on this turf by moving from United to City lit up Old Trafford with a stunning performance after coming on at half-time, scoring twice early in the second half to drag his side back in the game before completing his hat-trick with a free-kick past Paddy McGuinness.
His second and fourth goals in particular were works of art, ducking and diving through multiple England players before finishing with aplomb, and putting Angry Ginge in a blender for the fourth.
A joy to watch.
9
Tevez cupped his ear at a ground where he's notorious
Credit: Shutterstock Editorial
BIG ZUU (Midfielder) - 10
Forget 'Siuuuu' it's all about 'ZUUUUUUUUU' from now on.
Big Zuu picked up where Carlos Tevez left off, proving that this guy really can do anything.
Bagged the winning goal with a left-footed strike at the near post that sent the crowd into raptures as he then performed his now signature celebration, sorry CR7.
ROBBIE KEANE (Striker) - 7
Was mistakenly introduced to the Old Trafford crowd as the beloved Roy Keane, but was instrumental in his side's second-half remontada, showing a great link-up with Carlos Tevez.
LEONARDO BONUCCI (Defender) - 4
Not a popular man on English soil after scoring the goal that cancelled out Luke Shaw's opener in the Euro's final, and played as if the pressure had got to him.
The crowd had high hopes for the Italian legend, but would be beaten by Angry Ginge to a spot in the Soccer Aid best XI this year.
KAELYN KYLE (Midfielder) - 5
The athletic midfielder showed flashes of good play with some nice passes and touches but was a victim of the quality of the England midfield.
Soccer Aid 2025
Soccer Aid is on TONIGHT as legendary footballers and A-listers raise money for Unicef in one of the most exciting matches of the year!
Here's everything you need to know for the big game...
Soccer Aid 2025 LIVE - Follow all the action and reaction as it happens
Info:
All the info for Soccer Aid 2025
Who is playing this year?
Why is Usain Bolt not playing this year?
Latest news and features: