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Soccer Aid begins today as England take on a team from the rest of the world once again. Many football legends are taking part for England including Gary Neville, Jamie Carragher, Joe Cole, Teddy Sheringham, Stewart Downing, Fara Williams, Eni Aluko and Anita Asante. England are also managed by Harry Redknapp, former Tottenham and West Ham boss. Redknapp is a hugely popular figure in the world of football, but in 2019 he made a rare foray into the world of politics.
At the time, the Conservative Party was in the process of electing a new leader.
Boris Johnson would eventually become Prime Minister, but Redknapp delivered a scathing verdict when asked about the options.
Sky News’ Mark Austin asked Redknapp who his preferred choice was.
The football legend replied: “Oh my god.
“You know what? I don’t know. I’m giving up, to be honest.”
He continued: “It’s a toss-up, isn’t it? It’s a throw.
“You know what I don’t understand about politics, Mark?
“Labour says one thing, Conservatives… they never agree on anything.
“There must be something!
“One day someone says ‘this is good for the country’ and both parties will agree on that.
“But they never do that, in the end I slowly lose faith in politicians.”
Mr Johnson’s predecessor Theresa May was defended by Redknapp when she failed to get her Brexit deal through Parliament.
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“I don’t know what the consequences will be, I’m not smart enough to keep the answers, but that’s how it will be for now.”
Redknapp may have stepped down from management but still offers advice to current England boss Gareth Southgate.
He thinks Jack Grealish should play a more central role in the England setup.
Speaking to talkSPORT, he said: “I’ve been saying all along that I don’t think Gareth is a big fan of Grealish, I really don’t.
“He first came into the team before Euros when public opinion was really so strong for Grealish that he had to – he came off the bench and did fantastic things.
“I just think – we all have opinions on players if you’re a manager, some we like, some like the crowd but you don’t play against them because they’re not what you want or because you don’t see them as part of your team or how you want to play. I just feel like he’s one of them.
“It’s a game of opinions, he’s the manager, he chooses his own players and how he wants to play, but I don’t think he sees Grealish – I don’t think he’s particularly in love with Grealish – it’s just my opinion.” Redknapp continued, “Oh yes, I would play him. He’d be right there. I love him, he would definitely be one of the first names on my team list.”