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The glamor quotient of world sports has been on the rise in recent years. Whatever sport you talk about, athletes are no longer looked at as merely players who pursue sport at the highest-level. What they do, what they wear, what they say, what they endorse, everything has value and matters to millions who follow them.
Sports personalities collaborate with the same brands that hollywood actors and supermodels do. They've got their own 'oomph' factor, a luxurious lifestyle and swagger to flaunt. The fascination with football and those that play it at the highest level has caught even the most highly influential celebrities on the planet.
They love the fairytale that the sport offers them and the history that the game is strongly backed by. They enjoy the flare in football rivalries and most of all the grand celebration of the game. The craze is real and even celebrities who are known for having countless fans are themselves fans of the sport called football. So let's take a look at some top celebrities who are absolutely in love with football and have their favorites in the game.
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#10 Ant & Dec
The popular duo of comedians and singers, Ant McPartlin and Duncan Donnelly, who are fondly referred to as Ant & Dec are huge Newcastle United fans. The two first worked together as child artists on CBBC's Byker Grove in 1990s. The pair often post updates from their social media handles and are always aware of what's going on with their beloved club.
Britain's Got Talent hosts have been spotted in the stands supporting the Magpies on many occasions. The most recent sighting came in October when Newcastle United hosted Tottenham Hotspur, which Spurs won 3-1. Ant & Dec showed their concern towards a fan who got ill during that match as play was stopped for about 25 minutes.
The duo have been buzzing since the club's controversial takeover by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund was completed. However, the club still sit joint bottom of the Premier League table with Norwich City.
Ant & Dec have won the Most Popular Television Presenter award for 20 years running at the National Television Awards. In their latest winning speech at the NTA, they even jibed about the Magpies.
#9 Adele
The richly talented global megastar, Adele's net worth, has been estimated to be around £150m this year. She is one of the most successful musicians of all time with an incredible 15 Grammy awards in her bag. All credit to the north-London-born singer, who has stayed glued to her roots even if that meant supporting a club that's been barren of silverware.
Yes, you guessed that right. Adele is a Tottenham Hotspur fan. Even though she resides in Beverly Hills these days, she has shown her love for the beloved Lily Whites on multiple occasions. Back in 2016, when the singer was touring the United States, she proudly posed underneath a Spurs scarf, with "The Pride of London" inscribed on it.
Tottenham's official social media channels have frequently congratulated the singing sensation for her various feats. She recently sent the Spurs faithful spooning over her. This was after a version of her singing "glory, glorious Tottenham Hotspur" was released on Vogue's YouTube channel.
You can take the girl out of Tottenham, but you can't take Tottenham out of the girl.
#8 Shakira
In Shakira's own words, "I have a very special relationship with football. It changed my life in many ways." Ever since the Colombian released the anthem 'Waka Waka' for the 2010 FIFA World Cup held in South Africa, she has grown extremely close with the game.
Shakira met the love of her life and Barcelona legend Gerard Pique on the set of the shoot for Waka Waka. The couple have been together ever since. But before she met Pique and grew fond of FC Barcelona, Shakira was an Espanyol fan. Yes, you heard that right. She was on the other side of the Catalan derby. In fact, she was a socio of Espanyol in the Catalan City but later returned the card.
Espanyol captain Raul Tamudo even gave her his jersey. The Columbian singer has performed at back-to-back ceremonies from 2006 to 2014 in the FIFA World Cup. Since meeting Pique and marrying him, she has been a regular at Camp Nou and is always cheering for the Catalans.
The Barefoot Foundation, Barca Foundation and the 'La Caixa' foundation entered an agreement to make a school in the city of Barranquilla, a city in Columbia.
#7 Barack Obama
The charismatic leader and former President of the United States of America has always been very transparent about his love for sports. Barack Obama has often been spotted breaking a sweat while playing basketball. In fact, during his tenure, he hosted various teams in Washington D.C.
Over the years, his interest in football has been evident, but various outlets have shipped him with various outfits at different points in time. The Daily Telegraph reported that in early 2000s, Obama was in the stands to watch a West Ham game.
For a good few years he was assumed to be a great Hammers fan. Afterwards, when the Hammers were going through a turbulent period, it was revealed in 2009 that Dubai-based club Al Wasl had grown on Obama. The president was even gifted a jersey by a fan which he accepted and went on to wish the club success.
Various clubs have tried their luck to lure Obama to pledge his allegiance to them, but he's a hard nut to crack. Despite all these reports, one can't dispute that Obama shares as much love for the sport as any other fan.
The former US president is an admirer of Lionel Messi. In 2019, while on a visit to Colombia, he gave an example of his World Cup woes with Argentina in an analogy.
#6 Rihanna
Rihanna is usually known for her exploits in the music industry, with 250 million records sold worldwide. She is evidently one of the best-selling music artists of all-time. The nine-time Grammy Award winner is a big sports buff and among the many sports she likes, football is among the favorites.
The Barbados-born singer made waves on Twitter for her enticing commentary on the 2014 World Cup and has been to many stadiums around Europe. Her allegiance to one such particular club hasn't been declared because she often wears different outfits in support of various clubs.
She was spotted at the Emirates for Arsenal's game and after the match was even pictured with Mesut Ozil. Back in 2015, she was present at the Parc de Princes, the home of PSG, for their clash with Olympique Marseille. Fashion sensations Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid were also spotted alongside Rihanna.
Everyone thought then that PSG was the team that the "Love on the Brain" singer supported. But she shocked everyone by visiting Juventus at Allianz Arena for their Champions League game against Atletico Madrid. The singer was also gifted the Old Lady's black and white jersey with Riri printed on the back.
#5 Usain Bolt
The world's fastest man fell in love with Manchester United after being impressed by Ruud van Nistlerooy, one of the most sorted strikers in the Premier League. If you book your tickets for one-fourth of United's games in a calendar year at Old Trafford, there is a chance you might run into him. He's that much of a supporter.
The legendary sprinter was also a special guest in one of the most important games in Manchester United's recent history, the 2011 Champions League final. However, the Red Devils ended up as 3-1 losers to an emphatic Barcelona side.
In his own saucey style, Bolt spoke of his football skills. He said if he were to play the game someday, he would at least be at Wayne Rooney's level. 'Lightning Bolt,' as he is nicknamed, was never meant to do the easy things, you see.
While promoting events at the Dubai Expo, he spoke on the club's current situation:
“Cristiano [Ronaldo] has saved us every game. One guy has to do all that work. We have not played good football in so long. It is so relaxed. We pass so slowly. When Alex Ferguson was manager, we had to win because he would demand you win.”
Bolt was of the belief that Antonio Conte would be the ideal candidate to takeover the Red Devils. But Ralf Rangnick was then announced as the interim boss.
#4 Jeremy Clarkson
Few are unaware of the motoring genius and enthusiasm of Jeremy Clarkson. His latest contribution to television comes as the host of 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire?' However, his contribution from the stands to Chelsea FC is as valuable as his input on previous shows like Top Gear and The Grand Tour.
As a supporter, Clarkson is always ready to lose his voice while supporting the Blues at Stamford Bridge. He is sometimes seen even catching the action on away days. Back in 2015, he exchanged some unpleasant remarks with another celebrity supporter who isn't the most popular figure in Britain, Piers Morgan.
Morgan has been a true Arsenal follower. The two television personalities were involved in a rude exchange at the Emirates Stadium in a Chelsea vs Arsenal tie. Clarkson writes columns for the Sunday Times and The Sun. He had also written about his trip to Portugal for the all-English Champions League final in 2021.
After Chelsea lifted the Champions League trophy by defeating Manchester City, Clarkson celebrated on the streets of Porto and was caught shouting, "Fuc***g Mancs."
#3 Ranveer Singh
Over the years we have seen many Bollywood stars get involved and own stakes in various franchises in the Indian Premier League and Indian Super League respectively. However, Ranveer Singh, who is often spotted playing football with his industry friends, has confessed that his heart beats only for the Gunners.
Last year, in a live session with Indian football captain Sunil Chettri, the bollywood star revealed everything about his love for Arsenal. Singh had been a follower of both Chelsea and Arsenal. But the latter's mighty 'invincible' season meant there was only one club he felt enamored by.
The actor met with his childhood hero and Gunners legend Thierry Henry, whose style and swagger left him in awe. In the final months of 2017, the English Premier League and Ranveer Singh formed an official partnership. This was done to help promote the League's community initiatives in India as well as fan events. He thus became the first official brand ambassador of the Premier League in India.
The Bollywood sensation has been to the Emirates on a couple of occasions. His most interesting visit was when he attended the north London derby in 2019. The Gunners came back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 on home turf. Singh also clicked selfies with Ray Parlour, popularly known as Ramford Pele.
#2 LeBron James
LeBron James is one of basketball's most adored stars. He is frequently held in the 'greatest of all-time' brackets and people often go head over heels for him. The superstar might be used to fellow basketball players drooling over his skills on the court, but his heart beats for a certain football club in Merseyside.
People who are used to winning big often keep elite company and the story with James is no different. He is a big Liverpool FC fan and is often spotted flaunting the Reds jersey on social media. The LA Lakers star has been very vocal about his support for the club. In 2011, he was present in the stands as Kenny Dalglish's side drew 1-1 with Manchester United.
He described his time at Anfield as "one of the single best experiences of my life." In fact, the four-time NBA champion and two-time Olympic winner also holds 2% stakes in Liverpool FC through Fenway Sports Management. He has always been captured a couple of times visiting the official club shop.
The Reds even invited LeBron for a private tour of the stadium sometime during Kenny Dalglish's reign, where he met Steven Gerrard and Luiz Suarez. In 2019 and 2020, the American expressed his happiness at Liverpool's Premier League and Champions League triumphs.
#1 Rafael Nadal
Another star who is among the most popular names in world sports and despite being a sensation himself equally loves another sport is Rafael Nadal. The 'King of Clay', as he is popularly called, is a big supporter of Spanish football. He hasn't shyed away from expressing his love towards Real Madrid.
The tennis legend has been spotted at the Bernabeu on multiple occasions and is all smiles while enjoying the games. Reports from La Sexton once revealed that Nadal even played an important role in the signing of Real Madrid ace Marco Asensio. In 2017, he also conveyed that if the opportunity comes, he'll proudly accept the offer to become the President of the club.
Last year, in his interview as the face of 'Celebrity' magazine, the Spaniard revealed that his favorite footballer was Brazil's Ronaldo Nazario. The Brazilian legend represented Los Blancos between 2002 and 2007.
Nadal has kept himself informed about matters at the club and in April earlier this year said of Kylian Mbappe's potential transfer:
"I would like both (Haaland and Mbappe) of them. To be honest, they are both going well (in Real Madrid setup) for me."
Spoken like a true Madridista!
