Article: 15 Footballers Who Turned Their Hand to Music

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By Jonathan Lewis | 11th MAY 2021

Music can easily change your mood. Therefore, many people use it when working out or going for a run as motivation music to get you hyped can improve your stamina and performance and is generally upbeat and lively. It comes as no surprise then that professional footballers often like listening to their favourite tunes before they walk out onto the pitch. But for some, their passion has taken them further and here are 15 footballers who have turned their hand to playing music.

1. Jese Rodriguez

This Spanish legend who played at Real Madrid seemingly lost a little interest in the game when he decided to partner with a friend DJ Nuno and create a Spanish Reggaeton band back in 2014. Many people feel that distraction hasn’t done his playing career any good, and he could have been a lot better if he had just stuck to kicking the ball.

2. Petr Cech 

Petr Cech is most famous for being the Spanish goalkeeper, but he also has a love of music. He is a highly skilled drummer and showcases his talent on his YouTube channel, where he drums along to covers from artists of all genres, including Linkin Park, Ed Sheeran and Rihanna. It certainly doesn’t seem to have done his career any harm, and he is a man of many talents.

3. Jackson Martinez

Jackson Martinez was a highly demanded football player, and in 2016 he said goodbye to Atletico Madrid and signed for Chinese side Guangzhou Evergrande. But China wasn’t that impressed with his talents, and in 2018, he went out on loan to Portimonense. However, none of this faced him as in his spare time, he enjoyed rapping and released a debut album based on his beliefs and religion.

4. Alexis Sanchez

In what many assumed was simply a publicity stunt, Sanchez played a stunning rendition of Glory, Glory, Man United on the piano to confirm his signing. The populace believed this was a staged event and that someone else actually played the music, but this player from Chile is a very skilled piano player and helped to raise money for the Arsenal foundation the year before doing just that.

5. Jurgen Locadia

Brighton player Juergen Locadia was transferred from PSV at a club record amount of over £14 million. We assume they knew about his singing career, as the player who hails from the Netherlands already had two singles out on release. Just weeks after signing for Brighton, a record label called Powerhouse Music also signed him.

6. Ruud Gullit

Another footballer with both talented feet and talented vocal cords is Ruud Gullit, who hit the top ten in his native Holland with a debut hit called not the dancing kind. As his football career went from strength to strength, he landed at AC Milan and garnered a reputation as one of the best players. He also managed to get into the Dutch charts at #3 with a collaboration with Revelation Time, a Dutch reggae group with a South Africa song for anti-apartheid awareness.

7. John Barnes 

English player John Barnes has also tried his hand at getting in the charts. The England team song released in support of Italian 90 went down well with fans, but the Anfield Rap, which was the song for Liverpool’s FA Cup final in 1988, was a pretty unanimous atrocity.

8. Vinnie Jones

Another multi-talented player came in the form of Vinnie Jones, but to be honest, he should probably stick with acting as his 2002 album respect is pretty widely panned by critics. Thankfully Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels is a box office smash.

9. Paul Gascoigne

Possibly one of the most popular football players of all time, Gazza released a version of Fog on the Tyne, which managed to get to #2 in the British charts.

10. Andy Cole 

In 1999 Manchester United won the treble, and player Andy Cole released a single called outstanding. But unfortunately, it didn’t live up to its name and only reached a number 68 in the charts.

11. Glenn Hoddle and 12. Chris Waddle

Another pair that should probably have stuck to the pitch is Glenn Hoddle and Chris Waddle. Releasing under the name of Glenn and Chris was strange enough in itself (Hoddle and Waddle made so much more sense!), but their only hit, Diamond Lights, peaked at #12 and was pretty abysmal.

13. Dion Dublin 

Dion Dublin can play both the saxophone and the drums and invented a percussion instrument with six sides and is essentially a drum but played with the hand.

14. Paul Pogba

Starring in an Adidas video with Stormzy has given Paul Pogba ideas about releasing his single.

15. Nolberto Solano 

Solano can play the trumpet well but did not impress Sir Bobby Robson with his talent. However, he is undoubtedly a musical legend and a football legend.

Jonathan Lewis is an MFF sports writer