Eden Hazard & Thierry Henry prove age is just a number during chaotic charity match as Diego Costa turns back the clock in Doha

The 37-year-old, who has been without a club since 2024 and has yet to formally announce his retirement, opened the scoring with a stunning 25-yard effort during the latest edition of the Match for Hope. Despite his prolonged absence from competitive football, the former Spain international showed flashes of the aggression and power that defined his peak years.

Costa lined up alongside Eden Hazard, rekindling memories of their successful partnership at Chelsea between 2014 and 2017, with the Belgian operating off his left flank. Arsene Wenger took charge of the side, dubbed Team Chunkz, which also featured Real Madrid legend Marcelo, a number of former professionals and a collection of online personalities, including I’m A Celebrity winner AngryGinge. The match was played at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium.

Opposition came in the form of Roberto Di Matteo’s Team Aboflah, led by Thierry Henry and supported by Franck Ribery, Tim Cahill and Gerard Pique. The match quickly descended into a frenetic, light-hearted spectacle, with the competitive edge softened by moments of outright comedy.

One of the most talked-about incidents involved social media star Bilal Fadili and YouTuber KSI. After KSI knocked the ball past him, Fadili leapt onto the rapper’s shoulders and launched him to the ground with a wrestling-style manoeuvre reminiscent of WWE. The referee opted to play on, and seconds later the ball fell to Costa, whose thunderous effort caught YouTuber goalkeeper David Vujanic off guard and flew into the net.

Team Aboflah responded with Henry at the heart of their attacking play, the former Arsenal striker still showing sharp movement as he drove into the box before being halted by a sliding tackle from influencer Marlon. Henry soon had his moment, delivering a delicate free-kick that Cahill nodded home to reduce the deficit.

The match swung wildly from end to end. Team Chunkz surged into a 4-1 lead through goals from YouTuber Mark Rober, Hazard and Eman SV2, only for Ribery to inspire a comeback. The Frenchman set up one goal and scored another himself, before Henry provided the assist for YouTuber Taiyo to level the score at 4-4. Chunkz then restored his side’s advantage just before the break to make it 5-4 at half-time.

The second half offered no let-up. Four goals arrived in the opening 16 minutes, including Costa’s second of the match and a penalty converted by MrBeast. In keeping with the tone of the occasion, the YouTube star even attempted to offer the goalkeeper a briefcase full of money to step aside before taking the spot-kick, though the referee blew his whistle before any deal could be struck.

Hazard and Marcelo combined once more to extend Team Chunkz’s lead to 8-6, and although their opponents pulled one back through a rebound finished by Channel 4 presenter Harry Pinero, Wenger’s side held on to win.

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The Match for Hope is now in its third edition following its launch in 2024 and is believed to have raised more than £15 million for disadvantaged children across Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Pre-match and half-time entertainment was provided by The Chainsmokers and the Jonas Brothers.

After another thrilling game in Doha, celebrities and ex-pros alike will head home until next year, when the Match for Hope is sure to return.