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Paul Scholes out of Hong Kong’s World Football Masters Cup with illness, Ryan Giggs to lead his team
- Manchester United legend unable to travel for Saturday’s match but Giggs added to line-up to lead the Scholes Legends side
- Former Liverpool goalkeeper David James to play for Michael Owen’s All-Stars team after injury rules out fellow ex-Red Jerzy Dudek
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Scholes has contracted pneumonia and was not able to make the trip, so the former Manchester United midfielder has drafted in ex-teammate Ryan Giggs, another member of United’s “Class of 92”, to lead the Scholes Legends team.
Giggs, who managed Wales from 2018 to 2022, will join his teammates on Friday, before featuring in the match against the Michael Owen All-Stars the next day. The 50-year-old is visiting Hong Kong for the first time in over five years, after making an appearance for a commercial event in 2018.
Former Liverpool goalkeeper Dudek, who famously denied AC Milan striker Andriy Shevchenko with a point-blank save in the Uefa Champions League final in 2005, will also miss the Hong Kong match because of injury.
The organisers have brought in David James, who made 277 appearances for the Reds from 1992 to 1999, to play between the posts for Owen All-Stars.
A host of former Liverpool players are already in the team, including Steve McManaman, Robbie Fowler, Jason McAteer, Luis Garcia and Vladimir Smicer.
Among the stars playing for Scholes Legends will be former Ballon d’Or winner Luis Figo, World Cup winner Robert Pires, former Manchester United winger Karel Poborsky and Matthew Le Tissier, formerly of Southampton.
Separately, tickets for the Lunar New Year Cup, which will take place on February 13 at Hong Kong Stadium, will be on sale from Thursday. Tickets ranging from HK$180 to HK$980 will be available only from the organisers’ ticketing platform, FWD MAX.
World Cup winners Francesco Totti, Marco Materazzi and Carles Puyol are set to play as the traditional Lunar New Year event returns to the city after a five-year hiatus.
The organisers have announced that Alessandro del Piero, David Villa and Rivaldo will also be playing against a host of former local stars including Fan Chun-yip, Chan Wai-ho, Lee Kin-wo, Leslie Santos, Chan Siu-ki and Au Wai-lun.
Scholes has contracted pneumonia and was not able to make the trip, so the former Manchester United midfielder has drafted in ex-teammate Ryan Giggs, another member of United’s “Class of 92”, to lead the Scholes Legends team.
Giggs, who managed Wales from 2018 to 2022, will join his teammates on Friday, before featuring in the match against the Michael Owen All-Stars the next day. The 50-year-old is visiting Hong Kong for the first time in over five years, after making an appearance for a commercial event in 2018.
Former Liverpool goalkeeper Dudek, who famously denied AC Milan striker Andriy Shevchenko with a point-blank save in the Uefa Champions League final in 2005, will also miss the Hong Kong match because of injury.
The organisers have brought in David James, who made 277 appearances for the Reds from 1992 to 1999, to play between the posts for Owen All-Stars.
A host of former Liverpool players are already in the team, including Steve McManaman, Robbie Fowler, Jason McAteer, Luis Garcia and Vladimir Smicer.
Among the stars playing for Scholes Legends will be former Ballon d’Or winner Luis Figo, World Cup winner Robert Pires, former Manchester United winger Karel Poborsky and Matthew Le Tissier, formerly of Southampton.
Separately, tickets for the Lunar New Year Cup, which will take place on February 13 at Hong Kong Stadium, will be on sale from Thursday. Tickets ranging from HK$180 to HK$980 will be available only from the organisers’ ticketing platform, FWD MAX.
World Cup winners Francesco Totti, Marco Materazzi and Carles Puyol are set to play as the traditional Lunar New Year event returns to the city after a five-year hiatus.
The organisers have announced that Alessandro del Piero, David Villa and Rivaldo will also be playing against a host of former local stars including Fan Chun-yip, Chan Wai-ho, Lee Kin-wo, Leslie Santos, Chan Siu-ki and Au Wai-lun.