RIO FERDINAND stopped some of the planet’s finest forwards back in his heyday – but he was powerless to prevent a worldie from ITV presenter Mark Pougatch.
Both BBC and their rival UK broadcaster have taken star-studded punditry teams out to Germany for Euro 2024.
Spearheading the Beeb’s coverage of Euro 2024 is Gary Lineker, who has been calling on the expertise of the likes of Alan Shearer, Ferdinand, Micah Richards and Jermaine Jenas.
Leading the charge for ITV is Pougatch, who has been breaking down the games along with Arsenal and Manchester United legends Ian Wright, Roy Keane and Gary Neville.
Last week Ferdinand revealed that, even though they work for rival broadcasters, the BBC and ITV pundits are much closer than many people think.
However, the former Manchester United and England defender may not feel that way much longer after he found himself going viral for the wrong reasons.
The two rival broadcasting teams lined up against each other yesterday in what turned out to be a full-throttle match in Germany.
Stars like Richards and Izzy Christiansen turned out for the BBC while Neville, Keane and Jill Scott were among those competing for bragging rights with ITV.
A host more former players rolled back the years to take part in the six-a-side contest – but it was Pougatch who was the unlikely star of the show.
ITV’s X account shared a clip from the contest showing him drilling home left-footed from just near the halfway line after it up nicely for him.
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He pulled the trigger to send the ball whizzing straight past the despairing Ferdinand in goal and into the bottom corner.
And that was enough to help fire his team to a 16-14 triumph.
EURO 2024 has something for everyone from stunning goals, thrilling matches… and the continent’s biggest hunks, writes Jack Figg.
Several stars have lit up the group stages with their skills on the pitch – but others are also catching the eye for their looks.
But who is the sexiest?
Thankfully AI boffins have carried out an analysis on the facial attractiveness of all players at the tournament.
And it’s bad news for Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions who are the fourth UGLIEST in the competition – one place below Scotland.
In fact it’s England’s group rivals Serbia who have fans swooning the most – boasting an average score of 77.90/100 with defender Strahinja Pavlovic deemed their most attractive.
While Turkey defender Mert Muldur has been ranked as the tournament’s BEST-LOOKING player.
But who is England’s sexiest star, and who makes the Euros’ hunkiest XI? Read our full story.
Fans were quick to react to the goal clip, and the scorer’s reaction to it, on X.
One wrote: “Love the swagger Pougatch pulls out after scoring that.”
A second said: “Always knew you had this in your locker Pougers!”
Another joked: “More like Mark Puskas!”
A fourth said: “Rio went down in instalments.”
As a fifth added: “Take about a worldie!”
However, that was not the only big talking point from the game.
Keane showed he still possesses the fire in his belly as he screamed and swore at Neville during the “friendly” match.
The duo played together at Manchester United, winning numerous trophies including the 1999 Treble.
But there was little love lost between the pair as Keane barked at Neville from the sideline.
Here's how each channel will line-up:
BBC presenters:
Gary Lineker, Alex Scott, Gabby Logan and Mark Chapman
ITV presenters:
Mark Pougatch and Laura Woods
BBC pundits:
Alan Shearer, Micah Richards, Rio Ferdinand, Ellen White, Frank Lampard, Ashley Williams, Wayne Rooney, Joe Hart, Cesc Fabregas, Thomas Frank, David Moyes, Rachel Corsie and James McFadden
ITV pundits:
Ian Wright, Roy Keane, Gary Neville, Karen Carney, Graeme Souness, Eni Aluko, Ange Postecoglou, Danny Rohl and Christina Unkel
BBC commentators:
Guy Mowbray, Robyn Cowen, Vicki Sparks, Steve Wilson, Steve Bower and Jonathan Pearce
ITV commentators:
Sam Matterface, Clive Tyldesley, Seb Hutchinson, Pien Meulensteen and Joe Speight
BBC co-commentators:
Danny Murphy, Martin Keown, Jermaine Jenas and James McFadden
ITV co-commentators:
Lee Dixon, Ally McCoist and Andros Townsend
The latter lost out in a duel as the BBC scored a crucial goal, leaving him on the floor.
And Keane did not hold back as he launched an X-rated rant at Neville, yelling: “Nev! F*****g get tighter!
“You show him the line, you’ve got to stop the shot.”
