The English premier league with all its popularity and glamour, has attracted many celebrities over the years, whether it be musicians, actors or other sports stars. England has immense industries in all of the three professions. Let's see, there was once a rock band from Liverpool, in the 60's, and they say the band revolutionized the genre. Oh yeah, the Beatles! Other legendary bands like Radiohead, Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath also emerged from England. When it comes to actors, there are Ian McKellen, Michael Caine, Anthony Hopkins and many others. Let's not even go into football but here are a few non-football sports personalities as well, Paula Radcliffe (marathon runner), Johny Wilkinson (Rugby) and Jenson Button (Formula one). But we are not here to talk about England and its celebrities. We are here to talk about some of the celebrities who were attracted by the blues of London, Chelsea.
Beatles founder Paul McArtney performing at Anfield stadium in Liverpool.
The wealth and glamour of Chelsea has not only lured players but celebrities as well. I am specifically going to talk about the three industries mentioned earlier since these are of my interest. There are many to choose from but I have selected a few pretty famous ones to talk about. As usual I am going to leave the best for the last. The first few will be celebrities who are apparently Chelsea fans but I have never seen any reason to believe it. We begin with a man from the isle of Britain itself, Gabriel Byrne. Any movie fanatic would recognize him from the movie "the Usual Suspects". Born in Ireland, he doesn't quite have a legendary status in the industry but is still a great actor. Then there is the lovely Sienna Miller, featured in movies such as "G.I. Joe" and "Casanova". Next we have guy Ritchie, the famous director who made "Snatch" and "Sherlock Holmes". Singer Bryan Adams is also on the list. There is a bit more reason to believe he is a true fan because he once dedicated a song name "We're Gonna Win" to the club. Another musician to have claimed to be a blues fan is Justin Chancellor, the bassist of American progressive rock band Tool. It's time to get some personalities that have given us a bit more reason to believe that they are a true blue. During the team's regular pre season tour of the States, the likes of Will Ferrel and Zack Galifianakis made it a point to visit the players personally, Ferrel having done so on more than one occasion. Having provided a great dose of laughter to fans with their brand of comedy and humor, these two are established American actors. It is highly doubtful whether they know a great deal about Chelsea though, or football for that matter. But its always great to celebrities taking an interest in the sport and Chelsea of course. Now for a real shocker - actress Charlize Theron. I never saw that coming. She paid a visit to one of the friendly games featuring Chelsea and also got a club shirt with her name on it. Actor Ashton Kutcher has also been spotted sitting in the Chelsea dugout during one of those friendlies.
Oscar nominee Joseph Fiennes has been seen at Stamford Bridge promoting an event. He was nominated for the Oscars for his films "Elizabeth" and "Shakespeare In Love", the latter winning the Academy Award for best picture in 1998. Actors from Bollywood have also been attracted with Abhishek Bachchan known to be a Chelsea fan. His movie "Jhoom Barabar Jhoom" portrayed him as a die hard Chelsea fan and also featured the club itself.
Two famous sport stars to have supported Chelsea are Boris Becker and Alec Stewart. Becker is a former German tennis player and world no. 1. He was spotted in the stands during a Chelsea game at Stamford Bridge, which was an FA Cup fixture against Leicester City. Former English Cricketer and captain, Alec Stewart is a well known Chelsea fan and has often been heard speaking about it during his commentary. Another musician, another Irish. Any guesses? It's U2 front man Bono. Apparently good friends with the owner himself, Roman Abramovich, Bono was once seen walking across the pitch at the Bridge. Part of one of the greatest rock bands of all time, Bono sprinkles even more stardust on this list.
As mentioned earlier, these are just a few of the host of supposed celebrity Chelsea supporters. I say supposed because most fans of Chelsea nowadays are just people who have hopped on to the Chelsea bandwagon. The same applies for celebrities, especially celebrities. It's sad but I think we are about to come to a conclusion. OR ARE WE?!! Didn't I say that I leave the best for the last. You can be rest assured, I am going to live up to my word. We end with two British legends. One is an actor and the other a musician. "The Dark Knight", "The Prestige", "Inception". Ring any bells? This man will forever be known as "Alfred". Yes, it is the legendary Michael Caine and it is safe to say that this man is a true Chelsea fan since he has been supporting the club for a long time, much before their glory days. And we end with a bang. More clues? "Kashmir", "Whole Lotta Love", "Heartbreaker" and "Stairway to Heaven". It's Led Zeppelin lead guitarist Jimmy Page. I am getting goosebumps just mentioning his name on this list. A rock god of the 70's and 80's and dare I say it, a fellow true blues fan. Now that's an ending.
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