Legends from three different continents will headline Monday's 12th Annual Match Against Poverty in Saint-Étienne, France.
Honoured to join the Match Against Poverty #MAP2015 & support the #EbolaResponse: http://t.co/EjFWTDLiVr pic.twitter.com/T9AWxio7UJ
— Didier Drogba (@didierdrogba) April 16, 2015
The all-star team of 'Drogba, Ronaldo, Zidane & Friends' will also include Edwin van der Sar, Fabien Barthez, Cafu, Eric Abidal, Christian Karembeu, Clarence Seedorf, and Youri Djorkaeff. More stars are expected to confirm their participation this weekend. They will face off against a local legends side from AS Saint-Étienne set to include the likes of Ľubomír Moravčík, Julien Sablé, and Pascal Feindouno.
Two-thirds of the proceeds from the match will go directly to help fund the United Nations Development Programme's (UNDP) recovery work in the three West African countries (Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone) hardest hit by Ebola. The remaining third will go to ASSE's local foundation.
"I am honoured to support the people of the three countries who are trying to get through the devastation caused by the Ebola epidemic, and I encourage everyone to pull together to end this crisis, and to prevent it ever happening again. I am also thrilled to be with Ronaldo, Zidane and all the other players to make a difference in the fight against Ebola."
-Didier Drogba; source: UNDP
Incidentally, Drogba's personal confirmation of his own participation on Twitter could be an indirect indicator of Loïc Rémy's improving calf ahead of tomorrow's Chelsea vs. Manchester United showdown.
The 12th Annual Match Against Poverty will kick-off at 20.00 local time (19.00 BST / 2pm EDT) on Monday. In the USA, beIN Sports should carry a live stream.