Lee Mack reveals what motivated him to return to Soccer Aid this year

Comedian Lee Mack has revealed he is taking part in this year’s Soccer Aid after reminding himself that he has scored more goals in the event than ex-England footballer Wayne Rooney.

Mack, 53, is returning to Soccer Aid as part of the world XI team, having previously played in the charity football match on several occasions.

Speaking ahead of the star-studded match, Mack said he was looking forward to returning after he remembered that, despite being England’s all-time record goal scorer, Rooney, 36, did not score in last year’s Soccer Aid but he did.

Mack told the PA news agency: “There was the temptation to say the last kick I ever did in Soccer Aid was a goal, so leave it at that.

“And then I thought about it and I watched a documentary on Amazon with Wayne Rooney and I was reminded of the fact that he’s England’s top goalscorer, and he’s Man United’s top goalscorer, and he played in Soccer Aid last year and he didn’t score and I did, and I didn’t even make school team!

“And I thought how can I give up that, I’ll have to do that again, that’s brilliant.”

Rooney, who scored 253 goals for Manchester United making him the team’s top goal scorer of all time, first featured on the Soccer Aid line-up in 2020 as manager of the England team.

He also participated in the charity event in 2021, taking to the pitch as a player for the first time.

Soccer Aid, the world’s biggest celebrity football match, is returning in June to raise money for the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef).

Having scored a goal for the first time in the final minutes of last year’s match at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, Mack joked: “I have deliberately missed the penalty for comedic effect for three consecutive years.

“Now that is commitment, not