In 2011, McManaman joined several former star players including Diego Maradona and former team-mates Luís Figo and Robbie Fowler in a select World XI to play against Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov and his select XI in a match to mark the opening of the new national stadium in the war torn nation's capital of Grozny. The match drew criticism from some commentators and human rights groups due to Kadyrov's alleged human rights abuses. McManaman commented "This is not a piece of propaganda for us ... We are not here politically. We are just here to play football." In December 2011, McManaman was also invited to be a part of the United Nations Development Programme Football Squad by ex-team-mates Zidane and Ronaldo (ambassadors of the UNDP), to take part in a series of friendly matches to raise funds known as Match Against Poverty.