Gary Neville Proposes a Showdown with Sidemen Following Charity Match Success
In a bold move, Manchester United icon Gary Neville has thrown down the gauntlet to the British YouTube collective known as the Sidemen. This challenge emerged during an episode of the It’s Called Soccer podcast, which aired on March 24, 2025, shortly after the highly successful Sidemen Charity Match held at Wembley Stadium on March 8.
As discussions unfolded in the podcast episode, host Rebecca Lowe highlighted the staggering fact that the Sidemen’s charity event not only sold out Wembley Stadium but also generated over $6 million for various charitable causes. In light of this impressive achievement, Gary Neville proposed that a team from The Overlap—a fellow podcast under the same umbrella—should assemble to take on the Sidemen in a match scheduled for the following year:
“Do you know something that I thought about? We should get an Overlap team together and go play them, don’t we, in Wembley next year.”
Rebecca Lowe noted that while the Sidemen possess youthful energy, the experience brought by former Premier League players like Neville would likely even the playing field. This led Gary to challenge the Sidemen directly with his own probing questions:
“You think, do you think they will beat us? I don’t know; I am asking the questions here. Are they good, these guys? Sidemen, come and get us! We are The Overlap.”
Potential Lineup for The Overlap’s Clash Against Sidemen
As speculation grew around the potential match, Neville, along with Lowe, started to envision a formidable lineup made up of retired football stars that could represent The Overlap:
“So you [Gary Neville], Jamie [Jamie Carragher], Wrighty [Ian Wright], Roy [Roy Keane], Jill [Jill Scott].”
In the spirit of friendly competition, Neville mentioned additional legendary players who could bolster the team:
“Scholesy [Paul Scholes], Wazza [Wayne Rooney], Peter Schmeichel in the net. Overlapping guests, I mean, we could be an amazing sort of team for them to play against. Come on, let’s get it on, why not?”
Given the star-studded nature of potential players like Wayne Rooney and Paul Scholes, Neville’s challenge could add a thrilling dimension to the next Sidemen Charity Match, promising an entertaining showdown that fans would be eager to witness.