Seven players added to lineup for United charity match

Sunday, March 11, 2007 

Coach Marcello Lippi has recently added 7 new players to his European XI squad for the March 13th charity match against Manchester United at Old Trafford. Four stars from Italian Club AC Milan join the star studded lineup, along with a player from each of Valencia, Roma and Real Madrid. The players join other European stars such as Ronaldinho, Henrik Larsson, Juninho and Gregory Coupet.

Players

Paolo Maldini:
Current Club: AC Milan
Age: 38
A veteran of the Italian game, Maldini has been playing since 1985 for AC Milan. His awards list is long, and includes 7 Serie A trophies, 5 Italian Super Cups, and 4 Champions League medals.

Genaro Gattuso:
Current Club: AC Milan
Age: 29
The defensive midfielder was part of Italian World Cup winning team in 2006, and is sure to add both defensive and offensive elements to the play of the Europe XI.

Andrea Pirlo:
Current Club: AC Milan
Age: 27
Pirlo is regarded as one of the best midfielders in the Serie A. He is an accurate passer, and a skilled playmaker. He has won several trophies with Milan, as well as with the Italian national squad.

Ronaldo:
Current Club: AC Milan
Age: 30
The Brazilian born striker is the top scorer of all time in the FIFA World Cup, and has won the award twice with his country. He was signed in January by Milan from Real Madrid of the Spanish Primera League.

Mancini:
Current Club: AS Roma
Age: 27
Another Brazilian born player, Mancini is often overlooked for his national team. His latest contribution for Roma was a sensational goal against Lyon in the Champions League, which involved 5 quick stepovers, and a blasted shot into the top corner of the net to guarantee Roma a spot in the quarterfinals.

Íker Casillas:
Current Club: Real Madrid
Age: 25
Casillas is currently the number one goal keeper for both Real Madrid and the Spanish National team. He has won both the Spanish League and the Champions League twice with Madrid in his 8 years with the club.

Miguel:
Current Club: Valencia
Age: 27
The Portuguese defender is a regular to his national team, and played in the 2006 FIFA World Cup for Portugal. He won the Portuguese Championship in 2005 with Benfica.

Coach Marcello Lippi will be checking on all the players fitness on Sunday night, and will announce the entire squad in Brussels, Belgium the next day. 70,000 tickets have already been sold for the match, setting a record for a non-competition match at Old Trafford. This means only 2,000 tickets remain for the game at the 76,000 seat stadium, as capacity has been set lower to accommodate two giant screens for pre-match entertainment. All proceeds to the match will go the Manchester United Fund, and will be used to help children all over the world.

Related news

• "Lineup coming together for Manchester United charity match" — Wikinews, March 6, 2007 - A list of the other members of the Europe XI squad.

Sources

• Gemma Thompson. "Milan quartet to play at OT" — SkySports, March 11, 2007