Ghana-born legend Marcel Desailly has vowed to use his position as a Unicef’s Goodwill Ambassador to help children in his country of birth.

The 39-year-old, who led France to win the 1998 World Cup, was named Ghana’s first Unicef Goodwill Ambassador two weeks ago.

The former Chelsea defender has now started work by visiting Tamale to promote education.

"In my many years as a professional footballer, I received lots of cheering and encouragement from Ghanaians on and off the field," said Desailly.

"It is now my turn to cheer Ghanaians, especially children.

“I look forward to working for children with Unicef as a Goodwill Ambassador for Ghana, the country of my origin."

Meanwhile, Chelsea have confirmed that they will host a farewell match for Desailly next month.

The game will be played at Stamford Bridge on 10 October.

A Chelsea select side, led by Ruud Gullit and Didier Deschamps, will play a Marcel World XI team that includes Ian Wright, Paolo Maldini and Alan Shearer.

“We will leave Accra soon to put finishing touches to Marcel’s farewell game,” Desailly’s manager Leslie Amissah said.

“We want to use the game to raise funds for the other charities supported by Desailly.”

The former France international lives in Accra, the Ghanaian capital since his retirement in 2006.

He is considered one of the most accomplished players of the game and one of the best players of the past two decades, having won virtually every major team award.

He has become a familiar face across the world as a television football analyst.