Jose Mourinho and his Manchester United squad were out in force on Wednesday evening as they attended the prestigious United for Unicef Gala Dinner at Old Trafford. The 18th annual event raised a fantastic £160,000 for Unicef, the world’s leading children’s organisation.
Offering fans the chance to rub shoulders with their footballing heroes, the black-tie event is always a highlight of the club’s social calendar. This year, it was hosted by television presenter and lifelong United supporter Rachel Riley and BBC Sport broadcaster Mark Chapman, while the main entertainment was provided by British grime superstar Stormzy, who stole the show with a performance of his latest single Blinded by Your Grace.
Stormzy, another longstanding fan of the Reds and friend of the club, was pleased to donate his time for Unicef, and to return to Old Trafford following his album signing in the Megastore earlier this year.
Stormzy, another longstanding fan of the Reds and friend of the club, was pleased to donate his time for Unicef, and to return to Old Trafford following his album signing in the Megastore earlier this year.
“It’s a pleasure; things like this for me are an opportunity to do something positive and I’m always happy to support them,”he said.
“It’s always a welcoming vibe at Old Trafford as well, it’s a massive club but very family orientated so it’s good to be here.”
An auction hosted by Darren Proctor, a DJ from local radio station Key 103, offered guests the chance to bid on a number of once-in-a-lifetime prizes, with the star lot being an invitation to get ‘up, close and personal’ with the Manchester United first team at a behind-the-scenes club event.
All funds raised from this year’s dinner will go towards Unicef’s vital work in Thailand, to support education programmes for children with limited or no access to schooling. These children are among the most disadvantaged and vulnerable children in Thailand. Many children in Thailand are denied access to education because of poverty, disability, gender discrimination and migrant status. Unicef supports education for every child to provide them with the skills and knowledge to lead a better life and break the cycle of poverty for families, communities and countries.
Jose Mourinho said:
All funds raised from this year’s dinner will go towards Unicef’s vital work in Thailand, to support education programmes for children with limited or no access to schooling. These children are among the most disadvantaged and vulnerable children in Thailand. Many children in Thailand are denied access to education because of poverty, disability, gender discrimination and migrant status. Unicef supports education for every child to provide them with the skills and knowledge to lead a better life and break the cycle of poverty for families, communities and countries.
Jose Mourinho said:
“I have always been very supportive of Unicef, and my team and I are proud to once again be a part of this amazing event to support vulnerable children in Thailand. We have raised a fantastic amount of money tonight, which will help to support children with limited or no access to schooling, something that every child should, without question, have a right to.“
Attending his first Unicef dinner since joining United in July this year, Victor Lindelöf said: “It’s going to be a fun night and it’s always nice to dress up a little bit, plus it’s great to be a part of this, because Unicef do great work with kids all over the world so yes, it feels good to be here.”
Henrikh Mkhitaryan added: “It’s very important for the kids; every child should have a good childhood, to learn how to read and to write, so I hope we can make a difference.”
Unicef UK Deputy Executive Director, Catherine Cottrell, said:
The United for Unicef partnership is the longest running of its kind between a football club and a global children’s organisation and to date has raised over £4 million, helping to change the lives of millions of children worldwide.
“This season marks the 18th year of our partnership with Manchester United and on behalf of Unicef, I would like to extend our thanks to the club, the players and fans, for helping to change the lives of millions of children around the globe. Uniting the world’s largest football club with the world’s leading children’s organisation is a powerful collaboration and we know that together we can continue to create a better future for children.”
The United for Unicef partnership is the longest running of its kind between a football club and a global children’s organisation and to date has raised over £4 million, helping to change the lives of millions of children worldwide.