What a match Soccer Aid 2016 at Old Trafford turned out to be! So much so that it makes it into our Top Moments of 2016 for Damian Lewis.
Sure as shootin’, England came ready to play, with energy, enthusiasm, and most of all, a truly united front. With the Rest of the World, they 1) raised a tidy sum for UNICEF, a wonderful cause helping children all over the world and 2) Gave us a beauty of a show over a muggy evening at the Old Trafford in Manchester.
Let’s look together at some highlights of the match, shall we? Oh, and, England took away the trophy, 3 – 2, just so you know. 🙂
Here’s some of what Damian was up to as he warmed up and geared up for the match up between Britain and the Rest of the World.
Lads! @SoccerAid pic.twitter.com/k84NwKC3nH
— Marvin Humes (@MarvinHumes) June 3, 2016
Such radiance, these smiles. Something quite sublime about boys at the game, no? Bookworm put it best, “Child high on sugar is what he will be like.”
And here’s a bit of the concentration he’s bringing to the match.
Damian did a bit for Virgin Radio UK with a treatise on hamstring rubbing. Awful, indeed!
The awfully dapper @lewis_damian chattin hamstring rubbing – oh er missus – coming up next on @VirginRadioUK pic.twitter.com/B8fZe2Ziul
— The Mac Twins (@TheMacTwins) June 4, 2016
Don’t let the laughs fool you, these boys came to play.
https://twitter.com/socceraid/status/738695529719300096
With tidy kits ready to go:
https://twitter.com/socceraid/status/737648545197641728
In an earlier post we saw some of his history with this event through the years. This year, we have a 45 year old actor playing among guys half his age, some of them professional footballers. (I think they said the median age for both teams was ~33)
Towards the end of the first half with ROW up by a point and Damian nowhere near the field, I started to worry that we may not see him play. Up to that point, I’d been happily enjoying the game. Don’t get to watch footie often, and whenever I have watched, it’s been a fun and intense 90 minutes spent. Olly Murs was especially impressive in the early plays, nearly getting a goal like 6 or 7 times, literally missing some by inches. He really wanted to be the sixth celebrity ever to score in a Soccer Aid, but that honor ultimately went to Mark Wright who scored England’s first goal. (The other two points came from pro Sunderlander Jermain Defoe)
'How does it feel to be the best midfielder in the world?'
Zizou: 'I don't know ask Damian Lewis'
— UNILAD Football (@UNILADFooty) June 5, 2016
@louis_tomlinson #onedirection #socceraid name them!! pic.twitter.com/38ArDsRbUg
— Damian Lewis (@lewis_damian) June 5, 2016
@lewis_damian @Louis_Tomlinson Seems no one is bothering with '23 Carra Gold'or 'God'…at least you know who they are, Damian!
— LM (@TBkWrm) June 5, 2016
Of course a cute stagey pic like this doesn’t do much to put our respective fangrl’s minds at ease. Were these two white jerseys meant to remain pristine and unworn?
Louis and Damian Lewis today! #SoccerAid2016 #UNICEF -A pic.twitter.com/3DqrizQopV
— 1D Updates (@OT4WWUpdates) June 5, 2016
England were owning the field from the start, so I didn’t get worried over not seeing Damian play until ROW scored one. Worries were for naught, of course. Damian Lewis NOT playing was never an option for this team. Once he came on field (at ~70 min), substituting in for Murs, no less, and taking over the midfielder position like he plays it every day, as natural as could be, it was impossible to tear oneself away from the screen.
Damian’s “silky skills”, here, are a sprint past two guys in blue and a brilliant turn. Seemed quite fancy and ROW seemed to have a clear absense of defense in this sequence. Learned later from this tweet and from Damianista that the turn actually has a name and a history.
@lewis_damian 's Cryuff turn was a thing of beauty! Eat your heart out, @10Ronaldinho 😉
— Darren Jakeman (@DarrenAFCTU) June 5, 2016
And, immediately after that turn, Damian kicked the ball right past a line full of blue jerseys to get it to Whitehall who just barely missed the goal. Woulda been such a sweet assist!!
Capping off the evening: Boys with champagne.
Boys in suits:
This is it!! pic.twitter.com/MYr39ZYKM5
— Damian Lewis (@lewis_damian) June 5, 2016
And this breaking news 🙂
BREAKING: @lewis_damian is close to agreeing a deal with @ManUtd He will be Jose Mourinho's first signing. Fee £45M , could go up to £60M
— Rick Oliver (@RigadonRick) June 5, 2016
Who, ME??
Here’s wishing Damian Lewis many more years of knocking around that ball! 🙂