Soccer Aid LIVE: England v World XI latest build-up and updates

Sven-Goran Eriksson’s much-hyped ‘Golden Generation’ bowed out in the quarter-final stage of the 2006 World Cup and Jole Cole believes things are better for the national team as they try to win Euro 2024..

“It’s a different landscape,” Cole said. “We had different problems to deal with than this group of players.

“When you go into a tournament, you need moments to happen for you. Every tournament we played in, it was either a penalty shoot-out or it was a sending off or an injury.

“These big moments went against us, but ultimately I feel this group are better educated from a footballing perspective.

“I feel where we are in England – in terms of how we play football – is the right way now.

“I feel for many, many years, we weren’t playing in the right way tactically, so I think this group have been brought up under a different system. Underneath it all, I think ultimately they’re better equipped because of that.”

“Listen, they were penalty kicks away from winning a tournament,” said former England international Joe Cole ahead of his involvement in Soccer Aid tonight. “There’s been semi-finals, quarter-finals – the experience is there now.

“They have got young players in the squad, but they’re so experienced and so knowledgeable, as a team and as a group. You know, I think the time is now.

“The only difference going into this tournament is there’s a little bit more expectation on them and it’s how do they cope with that, but I think they’ve got the right manager for that.

“I think Gareth [Southgate] will manage the anxieties of the squad – of the team – and just keep them focused on the task in hand.

“I think Gareth is in the right place. Very, very good character in that situation. I think it actually sort of would benefit to have someone of his character there.”

Stuart Broad does not feel any regret about his retirement he admits the start of England’s Test summer could be a challenge to his equilibrium.

He has no immediate plans to fill the void by stepping into any formal coaching role but is enthusiastic about working with the next generation and sharing his experience.

“I’ve not massively missed the playing side yet but seeing the England lads walk out at Lord’s or the Test at Trent Bridge, that will probably be the time I go, ‘Wow, I don’t do this anymore’,” he said.

“If you go straight into (full-time) coaching, you’re almost travelling more than the players, but I want to stay part of the game. I’ve gathered a lot of knowledge over my time playing 167 Test matches and I want to share that with people. The exciting thing for me is talking to bowlers at the start of their journey…if they can take five per cent from me that grows them as bowlers, that’s great.

“Whether I do that by stepping back in at grassroots level with Nottinghamshire, or speaking to the England Under-19s, it’s just about getting the knowledge I gained from 20 years of playing out of my brain and into theirs.”

“It’s going to be at Stamford Bridge with friends, so it is going to be a great night,” he said about this evening’s charity match.

“So let’s have fun, score some goals and make the fans happy. They do amazing work, especially when you are a dad and you have kids and you see everything they do for kids.

“You want them to do more and that is why you want people to come to the game to have a good time at Stamford Bridge.”

Eden Hazard, who will be playing for the World XI at Soccer Aid this evening, says he is enjoying his retirement and has plans to help his children follow him into football.

“I am enjoying it a lot, I miss being with the lads in the dressing room a bit but I have the freedom to do what I want now,” he told the PA news agency.

“I have kids, I have family, I can go to Belgium to see my mum and dad, so I can do a lot of things.

“I don’t know, now it is just good to be away, but I still love football, for sure I am going to do something in football in the future, but now I just want to relax and enjoy my retirement.

“I don’t think I will coach professionally, but I think I can coach for youth teams. I have kids, and I want to teach them how to play football.”

“To put on an England shirt again, even if it’s not a cricket one, will feel pretty cool,” retired England cricketer Stuart Broad told the PA news agency ahead of Soccer Aid this evening.

“I’ve no doubt I’ll have that competitive spirit back. I don’t think it ever leaves you. I’m at peace with the way I finished at The Oval, if I tried to play another 100 games I’d never get that high again, and I achieved my goal of finishing on my own terms rather than being told by a coach or selector that time was up.

“I didn’t leave with any bitterness, just brilliant memories. But one of the things I’ve noticed from stepping away from the game is how little you realise about the pressure you’re really under.

“It can be quite addictive, that feeling of being under pressure to perform. Soccer Aid is all about raising money and awareness for UNICEF and what it does for children all over the world, but whenever you put a professional sportsperson on a field those competitive juices flow.”

Coaches: Mauricio Pochettino, Robbie Keane, Jesus Perez

Legends: Eden Hazard, Roberto Carlos, Petr Cech, Patrice Evra, John Obi Mikel, Michael Essien, Alessandro Del Piero, Kheira Hamraoui, Olga Garcia, Kaylyn Kyle,

Celebrities: Usain Bolt (Captain), Maisie Adam, Theo Baker, Tony Bellew, Martin Compston, Diamond, Tommy Fury, Roman Kemp, Lee Mack, Jason Manford, Emmett J Scanlan, Micheal Ward, Tion Wayne