Beyond their prowess on the American Football field or tennis court, sports stars often harbour a deep-rooted passion for football, with allegiances to their favourite teams running deep. From the gridiron of the NFL to the hardwood of the NBA, and even the prestigious courts of tennis, the world’s most celebrated athletes often find themselves cheering fervently for their chosen football clubs. In this exploration, we delve into the diverse array of sports stars and the football teams they ardently support. Join us as we uncover the surprising allegiances and unwavering loyalties that transcend the boundaries of sport, revealing the footballing passions that unite athletes across different disciplines.
Steve Nash – Tottenham
Two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash is a massive football fan and Spurs is his team. Tottenham and football are almost as important to the Nash family as basketball. Steve’s father John was a former pro who was born within a mile of the Spurs stadium. His younger brother Martin was capped 38 times for Canada. Nash himself still plays 5-a-side regularly and probably has the most exciting small-sided team in the whole of SoCal. Stuart Holden, Landon Donovan, and even Del Piero all have played with the basketball star.
Nash is so passionate about Spurs that when the Lilywhites overcame Ajax in the Champions League semi-final in 2019, he was reduced to tears. Lucas Moura had essentially scored, to use a term that is very familiar to Nash, a buzzer-beater and Spurs won it at the death.
.@SteveNash was in tears at full-time of Tottenham’s win pic.twitter.com/ifEZEbinYR
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 8, 2019
Andy Murray – Hibernian
Roy Erskine, Murray’s grandfather, was a footballer for Hibernian in the early 1950s. The connection has remained in the family and Andy Murray has proudly spoken about his connection to the Edinburgh-based side over the years.
#GGTTH #dad ❤️ @HibernianFC pic.twitter.com/l7ZovOqgHo
— judy murray (@JudyMurray) March 3, 2020
Aaron Rodgers – Manchester City
The four-time NFL MVP used to be a Liverpool fan in the days of Steven Gerrard. Now, Rodgers is a Manchester City fan after they sent him some kits.
”City. They’ve been good to me, they’ve sent me a lot of kits, a lot of gear” said Rodgers before the Green Bay Packers NFL showdown in London last year.
Jannik Sinner – AC Milan
The recently crowned Australian Open champion is a huge AC Milan fan. In 2023, Sinner’s name was chanted by the 70,000 fans inside the San Siro before their Champions League clash against Dortmund.
Luka Doncic – Real Madrid
Luka Doncic, who grew up in Slovenia before moving to Madrid, is an enormous football fan and a massive Real Madrid fan. It makes sense, he played for Real Madrid’s basketball team for three years before joining the Dallas Mavericks.
He is constantly commenting on Real Madrid and only the other day, he posted a photoshopped photo to his Instagram of Kylian Mbappé in a Madrid shirt with the ‘eyes’ emoji.
Rafael Nadal + Carlos Alcaraz – Real Madrid
Joining Doncic in the sporting fan club of Real Madrid are tennis legends, past and present, Nadal and Alcaraz.
Nadal has been an honorary member of the club since 2011. Due to his busy tennis schedule, he doesn’t attend the Bernabeu as often as he may wish, but he made it to Paris to see Real’s last Champions League Final win against Liverpool. His uncle, Miguel Angel Nadal, was actually a professional player for Barcelona (1991-1999) and partnered Pep Guardiola in midfield for the Catalan club. Nonetheless, Nadal is a Madridista through and through and has expressed interest in being the president one day.
Alcaraz is also a massive Madridista and in the 2023 US Open tournament, he celebrated one of his wins with Jude Bellingham’s iconic outstretched arms celebration.
Giannis Antetokounmpo – Arsenal
The Greek Freak is a Gooner. With over 10% of all Greek players ever in the Premier League playing for Arsenal, it’s no surprise.
Giannis knows what’s good! 😎
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) January 24, 2020
Welcome to the Arsenal family, @Giannis_An34 👊
📺 @NBAUK
🇫🇷 @NBAFRANCE x #NBAParis 🏀 pic.twitter.com/40gsixGeXK
Bam Adebayo – Leeds United
Miami Heat’s Bam Adebayo was recently spotted doing his media commitments with a Leeds United beanie on. The people in the comments section were astonished. Niche, but I like it, Bam!
Tom Brady – Birmingham
The NFL Goat is a Birmingham man. I mean, he is a part-owner of the team, but he’s been active in the club so far. He’s already sacked two managers in less than a season, let’s hope the third performs better..!
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By Nicky Helfgott / @NickyH3lfgott on Twitter
