Michael Sheen reveals he lost all his money bringing the Homeless World Cup to Cardiff

Michael Sheen has said that he will be paying off debt 'for years' after losing his money bringing the Homeless World Cup football tournament to Cardiff.

The Welsh actor was working with the annual charity event, which brings together teams of homeless people from around the world to compete, last year.

But he told The Guardian that after the organisation was 'f**ked over', it was left with just two weeks to plug a huge funding hole, which Sheen stepped in to do.

He said: “Five hundred of the most vulnerable people from all over the world [were] on their way to Cardiff, for a tournament that was potentially transformative and life-changing. And so... I gave all my money to it.”

Sheen broached the subject while speaking about his role in the US drama Prodigal Son for Fox.

“I’ve actually ended up spending the last six months in New York working, which is not what I intended. But when I gave all my money away, I suddenly had to go and earn money again,” he said.

“[But] It’s not like I’m forcing myself to do it. It’s a great job.”

The tournament took place in July, 2019, and reportedly costs around £2 million to stage.

He told BBC Radio 5 Live at the time: “We got into a bit of a state so I essentially put everything I have into this. You either commit to this stuff or you don't.”

When asked if he was planning to scale back his acting work, he added: “Well, I was. But now I've got to pay for this, so I'm going to have work a bit more now, because this has cost me more than I expected.”

Sheen will next be seen in Quiz, playing presenter Chris Tarrant in an ITV biopic about the Who Wants To Be A Millionaire 'coughing major' scandal.

It airs at 9pm on 13 April.