Soccer Aid 2024 stardom for Gateshead girl at Stamford Bridge clash

A Gateshead girl got to meet one of her footballing heroes on Sunday and received a video message from another, as she played a starring role at Soccer Aid 2024.

There was 90 minutes of build up on ITV ahead of the England v World XI clash at the new location of Chelsea's Stamford Bridge, meaning there was plenty for hosts Dermot O'Leary and Alex Scott to get through before kick off. And after news that Brazil legend Robert Carlos had dropped out of the game and Ashley Cole had been a late call up for England, the England v World teams were officially confirmed by Alex, as she walked into each of the dressing rooms for the announcement.

From there, she was back on the pitch to join This Morning star Dermot to talk about the competition for youngsters across the country to come up with a new mascot for Soccer Aid. And, after looking at some of the entries which didn't quite do enough to win, the presenting duo revealed that the winner was Nala from Gateshead, thanks to her colourful creation Seren the Soccer Aid caterpillar.

READ MORE: Soccer Aid 2024 LIVE score and updates for England v Rest of the World

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Nala joined Alex and Dermot on the pitch at Stamford Bridge and, while short on words, told the pair she was a keen footballer, meaning there was extra excitement for her at getting to meet England Lionesses hero Jill Scott, who was in the starting XI for England. Arriving on the pitch, North East born player Jill also had another surprise for Nala, with a video message from her favourite player, Mary Earps.

During her interview, Nala was seen holding a soft toy version of her design, but then came a huge surprise for her, when someone dressed in a Seren the Caterpillar costume then walked onto the pitch.