11 Celebrities Who Back Football Clubs: Snoop Dogg, Stormzy...

Music Stars and Their Football Ventures

The world of football has long captured the hearts of millions, but it's not just fans who are drawn to the beautiful game. Many music stars have taken a step beyond being supporters and have invested in football clubs, creating unique intersections between the worlds of music and sports. From major league teams to local non-league clubs, these artists have made their mark on the pitch.

Snoop Dogg: A New Chapter with Swansea City

Snoop Dogg, the iconic rapper known for his laid-back style and influential career, has recently become a co-owner and investor in Swansea City. This move marks a significant shift in his relationship with football, as he took a minority stake in the Championship club. The 53-year-old artist was the surprise model for Swansea’s home kit launch for the 2025-26 season.

Snoop expressed his excitement about joining the ownership group, noting that the story of the club and its working-class roots resonated with him. “This is a proud, working-class city and club. An underdog that bites back, just like me,” he said on the club’s website. His involvement adds a new dimension to the club’s identity and brings a fresh wave of attention from his fanbase.

Ed Sheeran: Supporting Ipswich Town

Grammy Award-winning singer Ed Sheeran has been a long-time supporter of Ipswich Town, showing his commitment through both sponsorship and investment. In 2021, he became the club’s shirt sponsor, with his logo appearing on both men's and women's kits. This partnership helped raise the profile of the club, bringing additional media attention and a unique connection between his music and football.

Sheeran also acquired a minority stake in the club last year, hoping to see Ipswich promoted back to the Premier League. His continued support highlights the deep bond between music and football, especially at the grassroots level.

Drake and Stormzy: Expanding Their Reach

Drake, one of the biggest names in the music industry, joined forces with LeBron James as an investor in AC Milan in October 2022. His influence extended beyond football, as his OVO owl logo appeared on Barcelona’s shirts during El Clasico as part of a sponsorship deal with Spotify.

Stormzy, a prominent grime artist, took over at AFC Croydon Athletic in 2023, teaming up with Crystal Palace legend Wilfried Zaha. This partnership brought a new energy to the club, which competes in the ninth tier of English football. While the team finished 12th in the Isthmian League South East Division in the 2024-25 season, the collaboration highlights the growing interest of musicians in supporting local football.

Elton John: A Longtime Fan of Watford

Elton John, a three-time Grammy winner, has been a lifelong fan of Watford. In 1976, he became the club’s owner, leading them from the fourth division to the top flight. Under his ownership, Watford achieved several milestones, including finishing as league runners-up to Liverpool and reaching the FA Cup final.

Although he sold the club in 1987, he repurchased it again 10 years later before stepping down as chairman in 2002. Despite no longer being a majority shareholder, he still holds a financial interest and has a stand named after him at Vicarage Road.

Other Notable Investments

Fatboy Slim invested £100,000 into Brighton and Hove Albion in 1999, with his Skint Records logo appearing on the club’s shirts. He later launched a limited-edition Brighton shirt in 2004 to celebrate his album release.

Olly Murs, known for hits like "Troublemaker," invested in Coggeshall Town after playing for them. He co-owned the club for six years before stepping down in 2022.

Jade Thirlwall of Little Mix became a shareholder in South Shields FC in 2020, helping the club achieve promotion to the National League North within three years.

D’Banj, an Afrobeats star, founded Koko FC in Nigeria, encouraging aspiring players to showcase their skills online. Ciara, Russell Wilson, and Macklemore are part of the ownership group of Seattle Sounders, which won the CONCACAF Champions League in 2022.

These examples illustrate how music and football continue to intersect, creating exciting opportunities for both industries. Whether through sponsorship, investment, or ownership, these artists bring their unique flair to the world of football, enriching the experience for fans and players alike.

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Top 10 European Clubs Earned Most from Selling Players to Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia has experienced a surge of talent from European clubs in recent seasons, with Cristiano Ronaldo's transfer to Al-Nassr serving as the trigger for significant moves to occur.

A significant amount of money has been invested in acquiring talent from Europe, with certain clubs experiencing greater effects than others.

In this analysis, we have examined the 10 European football clubs that have generated the highest revenue from selling players to Saudi Arabia.

10. Roma

Roma transferred three athletes to the Saudi Pro League within two years, including Roger Ibanez, who reportedly joined Al-Ahli for €23 million (£19.9m) during the 2023-24 season.

The next year, Houssem Aouar moved to Al-Ittihad for €12 million (£10.4m), while Joao Costa signed with Al-Ittihad for €9 million (£7.8m).

9. Fulham

Fulham's forward Mitrovic concluded a highly productive period with the Cottagers, during which he scored over 100 goals, by making a £50 million transfer to Al-Hilal.

Mitrovic is the sole player that Fulham has transferred to the Saudi Pro League, yet the scale of the deal ranked among the largest, placing them ninth on the list.

=7. Zenit

Zenit has also transferred only one player to the Saudi Pro League, but it was a significant deal. They acquired Brazilian winger Malcom from Barcelona in 2019 for £36 million, and four years later, he moved to Al-Hilal.

The transfer fee was around £51.9 million, making the winger the fourth priciest acquisition in the history of the Saudi Pro League.

=7. Wolves

The most significant transfer of Wolves to the Saudi Pro League was their top player, with Ruben Neves moving to the league for £47 million in 2023.

They subsequently transferred Daniel Podence to Al-Shabab for around £5 million the next season, matching the Molineux team's transfer fee with Zenit on the list.

6. Liverpool

Liverpool weakened their midfield by transferring two key players to the Saudi Pro League in 2023.

Fabinho made the priciest transfer, signing with Al-Ittihad for £40 million in July. Around the same time, captain Jordan Henderson moved to Al-Ettifaq for £12 million, reuniting with former Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard, who was coaching the team then.

5. Chelsea

In 2023, Chelsea transferred two key first-team players to the Saudi Pro League, namely Edouard Mendy and Kalidou Koulibaly.

The first one joined Al-Ahli for £16 million, while Koulibaly transferred to Al-Hilal for £20 million.

The Blues executed a shrewd transfer move the next year, when they sold Angelo Gabriel to Al-Nassr for more than £19 million, even though the winger had never featured for the club. This increased their total sales to Saudi to £55 million.

4. Manchester City

The city has earned roughly £75 million from sales to the Saudi Pro League, with all the assets they released still among the best in their respective fields.

Riyad Mahrez, who remains a dynamic winger, was sold for the highest fee when he joined Al-Ahli in 2023 for £30 million.

Al-Nassr have gained from City's decision to sell star players, as in the same summer, they acquired Aymeric Laporte for an estimated £23.6 million, and later brought in Joao Cancelo for £21.2 million the next year.

3. Paris Saint-Germain

PSGgenerated approximately £89 million from sales to the Saudi Pro League, with a significant portion of that amount locked in a single transaction.

Neymar's transfer to Al-Hilal for £77.8 million represents the largest sum ever paid by a Saudi club in its history.

During the same summer, PSG allowed Georginio Wijnaldum to join Al Ettifaq for about £6.9 million, while Danilo Pereira moved to Al-Ittihad the next year for roughly £4.3 million.

2. Porto

Porto has transferred players worth £95 million – only two – to the Saudi Pro League, marking their largest and fifth-largest exits in history.

The major transfer involved Otavio, an attacking midfielder, who moved to Al-Nassr in 2023 for a fee of £51.9 million.

One year later, Brazilian winger Galeno moved to Al-Ahli for £43.2 million.

Porto have recently reacquired some talent from Saudi Arabia, acquiring Gabri Veiga from Al-Ahli, following the 23-year-old's move to the club from Celta Vigo in 2023.

1. Aston Villa

The Villa club has completed two significant transfers to the Saudi Pro League, ranking as the second and third most costly signings in the league's history.

A long-standing story involving Jhon Duran in January concluded with the forward's £71 million transfer to Al-Nassr, although he has since moved on to Fenerbahce.

That occurred six months after Moussa Diaby moved to Al Ittihad in a deal valued slightly above £50 million.

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Comparing Mohamed Salah’s insane 2024-25 stats to Luis Suarez’s historic 2013-14

Luis Suarez's 2013-14 season with Liverpool is commonly considered among the greatest individual seasons in Premier League history. However, could Mohamed Salah eclipse it in the current year? We've closely examined the statistics.

Liverpool were almost robbed of the Premier League title by Manchester City in 2013-14, but they likely wouldn't have had a chance without Suarez at his absolute best.

The Uruguayan was undoubtedly the key player for Brendan Rodgers' Reds that year, having scored 31 goals, all of them from open play, and surprisingly outpacing every other player in the league with 10 more goals. Not only did he excel as a scorer, but he also provided a total of 12 assists for his teammates during the season.

He had missed the initial games of the season due to serving the remainder of a suspension handed down after biting Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic in the previous season. However, since his extended layoff, he had been an integral part of Liverpool's surprise push for the championship title.

In that year, Liverpool did not participate in the European competition, and Suarez made only three additional appearances in the two domestic cup competitions.

This season, Arne Slot's team, Liverpool, is actively competing on multiple fronts. They have secured the top position in the group stage of the 32-team Champions League, plus they have advanced to the semi-finals of the League Cup and progressed past the first round of the FA Cup.

With the arrival of early February, the possibility of an unprecedented quadruple title remains on the table, largely due to Salah's remarkable recent performance.

Liverpool's Egyptian superstar has achieved 25 goals and 17 assists in all competitions, with an impressive 21 goals and 13 assists in the Premier League, making him the top player in both categories.

We have the rest of the business portion of the campaign ahead and Mohamed Salah has played almost as many minutes as Luis Suarez did during the entire 2013-14 season for Liverpool in all competitions.

Looking at Premier League data, how does Salah stack up? We've analyzed their goal and assist tallies, as well as their penalty record, including the rate per minute, to put these two modern Liverpool icons side by side.

Here's how they compare to each other:

Mohamed Salah – 2024-25

23

23

0

21

13

6

96

135

46

Luis Suarez – 2013-14

33

33

0

31

12

0

96

96

75

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