Alex Brooker will be making his debut at Soccer Aid this year.
The 37-year-old, best known for presenting the Chanel 4 show The Last Leg, will be the first disabled Soccer Aid player. He was born with hand and arm deformities and had his right leg amputated when he was just a baby.
The Croydon-born presenter has previously campaigned for a variety of charities such as the End The Awkward campaign by disability charity Scope which used comedy to reveal the awkwardness people may feel towards people with disabilities. He is also the official ambassador for the Legs4Africa charity.
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Following the announcement that he will play for England in Soccer Aid this year, Brooker said: "As a kid I played football, but it’s the one thing where, within the realms of my disability, I kept on trying to play as a teenager.
“I had operations on my legs when I was 16/17 and that was all just because I wanted to carry on playing football. And it was one of those things where, when I got to about 19, I realised that actually I’m just not going to be able to do it every week anymore.
“And so, for me, football was the first time when actually my disability, genuinely, I can honestly say, it stopped me doing something and it bothered me.
“I’ve not played football for a long time, but to be able to come back and be able to play in this is a really big thing for me.”
Brooker will be joined by a variety of famous faces including Lucien Laviscount and Arsene Wenger. Former One Direction singer Liam Payne will captain England, while Usain Bolt captains the World XI.
Now in its 11th year, donations from Soccer Aid go to Unicef with money used to help give kids the best start in life.
Soccer Aid for Unicef 2022 is taking place at the London Stadium at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford. The fixture has moved back to its summer date after taking place in September last year due to delays caused by the Covid pandemic.
Kick off is 7:30pm though the show starts a little earlier with plenty of build-up to the big match. Those who can't get to the match can watch it on ITV on Sunday, June 12, from 6.30pm.
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