Iranian football player Mahdavikia to face Zidane in ‘Match Against Poverty’

TEHRAN,Dec.13 (MNA)--Iranian football player Mehdi Mahdavikia will wear Hamburg SV shirt once again when the German team faces “Ronaldo, Zidane, and Friends” on Tuesday. The 9th edition of the “Match Against Poverty” takes place in Hamburg's Imtech Arena between Hamburg SV All Stars and “Ronaldo, Zidane, and Friends” on December 13. Ronaldo, Zinedine Zidane and Drogba, who are goodwill ambassadors to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), have gathered international stars such as Luis Figo, Pavel Nedved, Serginho and Christian Karembeu for a match against an equally star-studded HSV All-Star team including Ze Roberto, Jorg Albertz, Sergej Barbarez, Mehdi Mahdavikia and Anthony Yeboah. Mahdavikia joined Hamburger from Bochum in 1999 and played in the team for eight years before joining Eintracht Frankfurt. The 34-year-old Iranian, who currently plays in Damash of Gilan, played 208 times and scored 26 goals. Annual “Match Against Poverty” will raise funds for people in the Horn of Africa, who are affected by drought and hunger. The match will be aired live by more than 20 national and international television channels. Two thirds of the revenue will go to UN measures to fight the ongoing food crisis; the remaining proceeds will be donated by HSV to local sports, youth and environmental projects. The referee will be legendary Pierluigi Collina, while Marcelo Lippi, Bora Milutinovic and Boris Becker will take on the role of coaches.