By Vince Rugari and Dominic Bossi
More than a dozen internationally-renowned players - including, potentially, Alessandro Del Piero - will join the already impressive list of confirmed starters for the Football For Fires charity match that will double as a farewell for retired Socceroos skipper Mark Milligan.
A preliminary roster of 21 retired greats - among them Chelsea legend Didier Drogba, Juventus icons Claudio Marchisio and David Trezeguet, former A-League marquees Dwight Yorke and Emile Heskey, and ex-Socceroos Mark Bosnich and John Aloisi - was unveiled on Tuesday at the official launch of the fundraiser, which will take place on May 23 at ANZ Stadium.
Chelsea legend Didier Drogba will play in the Football For Fires match at ANZ Stadium.Credit: EPA
Milligan, who retired from international duty last month but is still playing club football for English League One outfit Southend United, was one of the last names added to the current list, with his involvement ensuring a chance for the 34-year-old to say goodbye to fans in his home city.
The man who dreamed up the initiative, agent Lou Sticca, has promised an additional 14 players will join the line-up.
Former Manchester United star and South Korean international Park Ji-Sung is coming to Sydney.Credit: AP
And he did little to dispel speculation that Del Piero, whom he famously helped bring to Sydney FC in 2012, has also been flung an invitation.
"Stay tuned," Sticca said. "These are players who have had successful careers, very very financially well off, they've got plenty of time on their hands and a lot of them actually like to give back. All of them are citizens of the world, and that's the key thing here ... they want to do something for Australia and the globe."
The players will be split into two teams - the SES All Stars and the Firefighters All Stars, who will each be steered by famous coaches invited by Sticca and wear special kits provided by Kappa.
A global audience will be watching, with Sticca in the process of arranging a domestic free-to-air broadcaster whose live feed can be beamed on foreign networks which have been already lined up.
Sticca said he got the idea for the match while watching players like Marchisio react on social media to the bushfires that have devastated large parts of Australia, and quickly set about formalising a way for the global football community to help out.
What the players will wear at ANZ Stadium on May 23.
The NSW Government is pitching in by providing use of ANZ Stadium free of charge, while Sticca's Tribal Sports company is footing the bill to bring the players to Australia, although none of them are being paid - and none have asked, Sticca said.
All money raised from ticket and merchandise sales will go towards Football Federation Australia's 'Football Fund', which will help rebuild clubs and grounds that have been ravaged by the bushfires, while there will be an additional appeal for viewers to donate to the Australian Red Cross bushfire relief and recovery program.
Organisers are hoping for a crowd in excess of 80,000. Around 40,000 tickets will be available at "affordable prices", while large swathes of the stadium will be filled by volunteers from the bushfires, who will be granted free entry.
There was "method to the madness" of the player selection process, Sticca said. For instance, Le Cong Vinh is totally unknown in Australia, but the 83-cap former Vietnamese international's presence is designed to broaden television appeal is Asia and to tap into that country's diaspora in Sydney.
In a similar vein, ex-Major League Soccer stars Alecko Eskandarian and Dwayne De Rosario open doors into the affluent North American market for donations, while former Socceroo Con Boutsianis provides a link to the oft-forgotten NSL.
There are barely any defenders in line to play, which in theory should make for some entertaining attacking football - even if those involved are long past their prime.
Bosnich, meanwhile, is eager to catch up with Yorke, the former Manchester United teammate he hasn't seen in years. And he has already found a way to at least try to rediscover his goalkeeping abilities over the coming months.
"I rang [Sydney FC coach] Steve Corica to get permission off him to train with their goalkeeping coach - as long as it's in the afternoon. I appreciate that more than he realises because I don't want anyone seeing me in the morning," Bosnich said.
"I'm really, really excited because it's such a good cause. The least we can do is put in 150 per cent effort to make sure it's a great night."
CONFIRMED PLAYERS FOR #FOOTBALLFORFIRES MATCH
Didier Drogba: Ivory Coast (105 Caps), Chelsea, Galatasaray, Montreal Impact
David Trezeguet: France (71 Caps), Monaco, Juventus, River Plate
Dwight Yorke: Trinidad & Tobago (74 Caps), Manchester United, Aston Villa, Sydney FC
Claudio Marchisio: Italy (55 Caps), Juventus
Dario Simic: Croatia (100 Caps), Inter Milan, AC Milan, Dinamo Zagreb, Monaco
John Aloisi: Australia (55 Caps), Coventry City, Cremonese, Osasuna, Sydney FC
Dwayne De Rosario: Canada (81 Caps), Toronto, San Jose, New York Red Bulls
Ji-Sung Park: South Korea (100 Caps), Manchester United, PSV Eindhoven
Simon Colosimo: Australia (26 Caps), Carlton, Manchester City, Perth Glory, Sydney FC
Tore Andre Flo: Norway (76 Caps), Chelsea, Rangers, Sunderland, Leeds United
Alecko Eskandarian: United States (1 Cap), DC United, Toronto FC, Real Salt Lake, Chivas
Mark Bosnich: Australia (17 Caps), Aston Villa, Manchester United, Chelsea
Con Boutsianis: Australia (4 Caps), South Melbourne, Heidelberg, Perth Glory
Pedro Mendes: Portugal (11 Caps), Porto, Tottenham Hotspur, Portsmouth, Rangers
Le Cong Vinh: Vietnam (83 Caps), Song Lam Nghe An, Consadole Sapporo
Emile Heskey: England (62 Caps), Leicester City, Liverpool, Aston Villa
Michael Bridges: Sunderland, Leeds United, Newcastle Jets
Geremi: Cameroon (118 Caps), Real Madrid, Chelsea, Middlesbrough, Newcastle United
Stephen Appiah: Ghana (67 Caps), Fenerbahce, Udinese, Juventus, Vojvodina
Rustu Recber: Turkey (120 Caps), Fenerbahce, Barcelona, Besiktas, Antalyaspor
Mark Milligan: Australia (80 Caps), Sydney FC, JEF United Chiba, Melbourne Victory, Hibernian