Testimonial match

A testimonial match or testimonial game, often referred to simply as a testimonial, is a practice in some sports, particularly in football in the United Kingdom and South America, where a club has a match to honour a player for service to the club. These matches are always non-competitive.[1]

History

The practice started at a time when player compensation, even those at top professional clubs, was at a level that made it difficult to maintain it as a primary form of employment therefore retirement savings might not exist. These matches are generally well-attended and the gesture by the club can give the honoree income that enables a retirement income base or enable the honoree an opportunity to establish themselves in other employment when they finished playing. This is still the main objective of testimonials in Australia and some other countries.

Clubs typically grant testimonials to players upon reaching ten years of service with a club, although in recent years they have been given to players for particular circumstances such as approaching retirement. Typically, the club invites (depending on the career of the honoree) current or retired teammates (typically the honoree's club and national team) to participate in the match or with the associated festivities. All proceeds from the match go to the player which depending on the applicable country laws may be tax-free. These matches have become less frequent as changes have occurred in football that make the original purpose less needed or appreciated. Wages have increased, players may not stay with a club as long as they had formerly and those top players that have the esteem of the public and in the past had financial need for such assistance make it less likely for the public support the purpose of these matches.[2][3][4] However, testimonial matches for players who have given many years of service to the club (i.e. one-club men) and are popular with fans and have a higher turnout.

Testimonials in top-level football have continued to honour a player but have increasingly become charitable affairs, in which the player gives part or all of the proceeds to charitable activities. For example, longtime Sunderland and Republic of Ireland star Niall Quinn, in a "friendly" in 2002 at the Stadium of Light, donated all of the nearly-£1-million proceeds of the match to the charitable foundation he started that go to the support of children's hospitals in Tyne and Wear, Ireland, and India.[3] Another high-profile charitable testimonial was that of England rugby player Martin Johnson, held at Twickenham on 4 June 2005. This event, which featured many rugby union stars, benefited children's and cancer charities. On 4 September 2010, a crowd of 35,682 attended Jamie Carragher's testimonial match at Anfield, after fifteen years of service to Liverpool, and helped to raise more than £1 million for the defender's "23 Foundation" charity.[5]

Some long-serving players of recent years, such as Chelsea stars Frank Lampard and John Terry, have not yet been awarded testimonial matches.[6]

Players who have received testimonials

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

Cricket

Football (soccer)

Argentina

Austria

Brazil

Czech Republic

England

Germany

India

Italy

Mexico

Netherlands

Portugal

Romania

Russia

Scotland

United States

Wales

Rugby union

Rugby league

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Lucas Radebe: The original Kaiser Chief". BBC Sport. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 "Should testimonials be scrapped?". BBC Sport. 25 May 2001. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 "Payback time for footballers?". BBC Sport. 21 January 2002. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  4. ↑ Time to Do Away With Testimonials for Rich Footballers
  5. 1 2 "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 7 September 2010. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Leatherdale, Duncan (1 August 2016). "What's the point of football testimonials like Wayne Rooney's?". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  7. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsJozQWwgxQ
  8. ↑ http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-01-30/glory-years-relived-at-ponting-tribute-game/5229332
  9. ↑ "Maradona finishes on a personal high". The Guardian. 10 November 2001. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  10. ↑ "Servus und Danke: Steffen Hofmanns Abschiedsspiel". SK Rapid. Retrieved 2018-09-15.
  11. ↑ "Arsenal legends reunite for Tomas Rosicky's testimonial". Joe. 9 June 2018. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  12. ↑ Brodkin, Jon (14 May 2002). "A night out for the Adams family". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
  13. ↑ "Pictures: Dennis Bergkamp's testimonial". Arsenal FC. 22 July 2013. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
  14. ↑ "Testimonial for David Busst". The Independent. London. 16 May 1997.
  15. ↑ "Palace In Perspective - TheEaglesBeak". TheEaglesBeak. 2013-11-28. Retrieved 2018-01-10.
  16. ↑ Chiles, Adrian (17 November 2016). "The match that pitted white players against black players". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
  17. ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/jun/04/michael-carrick-testimonial-old-trafford-wayne-rooney
  18. ↑ Leitch, Adam (9 May 2016). "Kelvin Davis confirms that his testimonial game will be his last for Southampton". Southern Daily Echo. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
  19. ↑ "Interview – Lloyd Doyley Testimonial". FTRE. 4 August 2011. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
  20. ↑ "Friendly Match Crystal Palace v Fulham (Dougie Freedman Testimonial) at Selhurst Park - Days". Time Out London. Retrieved 2018-01-10.
  21. ↑ "Steven Gerrard: Liverpool captain has testimonial with Olympiakos". BBC Sport. 23 April 2013. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
  22. ↑ "Jaaskelainen lines up testimonial". BBC Sport. 6 May 2009. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
  23. 1 2 Taylor, Daniel (10 May 2006). "Keane suppresses emotions on United farewell". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  24. ↑ "Testimonial to Steve Kember". York Press. Retrieved 2018-01-10.
  25. ↑ Fudge, Simon. "Beckham appears in Keown test". Sky Sports. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
  26. ↑ "Spurs 3-6 Ledley Guest XI". Tottenham Hotspur FC. 13 May 2014. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
  27. 1 2 3 Ashdown, John (22 June 2011). "Which is the least successful testimonial match ever?". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  28. ↑ "Sir Stanley Matthews' Testimonial remembered". BBC Sport. 24 March 2006. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  29. ↑ Bostock, Adam (24 May 2011). "Report: United 1 Juventus 2". Manchester United FC. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  30. ↑ Steinberg, Jacob (27 March 2016). "West Ham's Mark Noble: I didn't want a testimonial and Upton Park to be half-empty". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
  31. ↑ "David O'Leary factfile". The Guardian. 20 May 2003. Retrieved 8 February 2018. 1986: Collects estimated £100,000 from Highbury testimonial against Celtic to mark - a year late - his 10 years as an Arsenal professional.
  32. ↑ "Successful, experienced, versatile – and out of work". The Independent. 2002-07-29. Retrieved 2018-01-10.
  33. ↑ "Report: United 1 Espanyol 0". Manchester United FC. 2 August 2008. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
  34. ↑ "Tuesday 26th May 2015: Julian Speroni Testimonial". Crystal Palace FC. Retrieved 2018-01-10.
  35. ↑ "Over 16,000 fans salute GOAL scoring hero Andy Wilkinson at testimonial". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  36. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Roman Weidenfeller: His testimonial match!". Borussia Dortmund. 22 April 2018. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  37. ↑ "Oliver Kahn bids farewell to football". Der Spiegel. Spiegel Online. 3 March 2008. Archived from the original on 3 January 2011. Retrieved 8 May 2011.
  38. ↑ "FC Bayern to stage testimonial match for Bastian Schweinsteiger". FC Bayern Munich. 27 January 2018. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  39. ↑ "Bhaichung Bhutia testimonial match with Bayern Munich".
  40. ↑ "Football says goodbye to Andrea Pirlo with Milan testimonial - in pictures". The National. 22 May 2018. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  41. ↑ http://www.mediotiempo.com/futbol/mexico/noticias/2003/10/02/festejo-completo
  42. ↑ "Groots afscheid Van Bommel". NOS. 19 July 2013. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
  43. 1 2 3 "Afscheidsduel Cocu derde in de historie". PSV.nl. 24 July 2009. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
  44. 1 2 "Dirk Kuyt Testimonial LiveBlog". Feyenoord.nl. 27 May 2018. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  45. ↑ "Kuyt zwaait met voetbalvrienden af in volle kuip". AD. 27 May 2018. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  46. ↑ "Edwin van der Sar bows out". Dutchnews.nl. 4 August 2011. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  47. ↑ "FC Barcelona well represented at Deco testimonial". FC Barcelona. 26 July 2014. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  48. ↑ "Hagi takes an all-star bow". BBC Sport. 24 April 2001. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  49. ↑ "The spider against the panther". FIFA. 12 May 2016. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  50. ↑ Lewis, Jane (20 May 2018). "Martin O'Neill: Strong Rangers would help Celtic in Europe". BBC Sport. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
  51. ↑ Jack, Christopher (12 January 2017). "Games of our lives: Rangers legend Ian Ferguson on cup glory, Old Firm heroics and an Ibrox farewell". Evening Times. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  52. ↑ Paul, Ian (19 November 1996). "German ace on the ball again at Grant testimonial launch Scoring legend Muller praises exile Lambert". The Herald. Herald & Times Group. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  53. ↑ "John McGinn expected to play in Hibernian Europa tie - Garry Parker". BBC Sport. 9 July 2018. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
  54. ↑ Christenson, Marcus (23 May 2004). "Henrik in tears at the end". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
  55. ↑ Clark, Graham (30 May 2005). "O'Neill departs to tears and memories". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
  56. ↑ Johnstone, Darren (10 August 2014). "Testimonials like mine are history – Neilson". The Scotsman. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
  57. ↑ Hardie, David (9 July 2017). "Hibs 2, Sunderland 2: Hibees fight back in Stevenson's testimonial". Edinburgh Evening News. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  58. ↑ "Brian Ching Testimonial Match". Houston Dynamo.
  59. ↑ "Zach Scott Testimonial Match set for Wednesday, March 1 at Memorial Stadium". Seattle Sounders.
  60. ↑ "LEGENDS RETURN AS UNITED TRIUMPH IN TATE TESTIMONIAL". Swansea City AFC. 9 August 2017. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
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