EPL: 10 Famous Fans of Arsenal

Famous fans of the English Premier League and other teams around the globe are pretty well spread out, and sometimes pinning down who is backing who can be harder than taking a picture of the Loch Ness Monster.
 
For example, The Beatles have been  rumored to be fans of both Liverpool and Everton,
and after 40 years, it’s still not clear if they cared that much or not. And some reports say that drummer Ringo Starr was actually an Arsenal fan when he was a kid.

But one club seems to have the lion’s share of famous supporters, and pinning them down on which team they are a fan of seems pretty clear cut. It’s Arsenal by a landslide. 

Let’s take a look at the top 10 reported fans of the Gunners...

10. Jay-Z

The hottest rapper in the world, Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, is such a fan of the London side that he has actually been rumored to want to buy a piece of Arsenal. The Brooklyn hip hop artist, husband of Beyonce and proud new father has made no secret of his love for the Gunners.

It may be a “Hard Knock Life,” but when you have enough cheddar to contemplate buying a piece of the Arsenal pie, then you’re doing alright in life.

9. Piers Morgan

The British journalist makes no bones about his love for his Gunners, often Tweeting (@piersmorgan) about his boys as he did here on March 13:

“Unlike some #Arsenal fans - I want us to win trophies. Quaint old thought, I know. If criticism of players/Wenger fired them up, then good.”

A former judge on Britain’s Got Talent, America’s Got Talent and the winner of The Celebrity Apprentice, Morgan has now taken over Larry King’s nightly spot on CNN on Piers Morgan Tonight. And like a good fan, Morgan can be fairly critical of his team.

8. Dido

The English songstress makes no bones about it: Arsenal is her team and she has been photographed several times watching her boys at Emirates Stadium. And I’m sure the club would like to say “Thank You” for your support sister.

7. Roger Daltrey

The lead singer of The Who, Roger Daltrey, is another longtime backer of the Gunners and would never have to ask longtime Arsenal star Thierry Henry “Who Are You?” I couldn’t find out if Pete Townsend, John Entwistle or Keith Moon were fans, so let me know in the comment section below if you have any information.

6. Prince Harry

While his big brother William is said to be a follower of Aston Villa, Prince Harry is all about the Gunners. The son of Prince Charles and Princess Diana, Harry most certainly did not begin liking the team just because their uniforms happened to match his red hair.

5. Roger Waters

The genius songwriter and bassist of one of the greatest rock n' roll groups of all time, Pink Floyd, Roger Waters has also been backing the Gunners for quite some time. For him, “Us And Them” may actually be written about London rivals Arsenal and Chelsea.

4. David Gilmour

Although Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour and Waters aren’t seeing eye to eye about their group these days, the two can agree that the Gunners are their team. With the Gunners in fourth place and on a nice little win streak, no doubt Waters is “Comfortably Numb” about his side’s prospects of qualifying for UEFA Champions League play next season.

3. Fidel Castro

Cuban leader Fidel Castro reportedly began his love affair with Arsenal in 1970-71 and was rumored to be hot under his uniformed collar that concerns about his security prevented him from attending the 1994-95 Cup Winners Campaign between the Gunners and French Ligue 1’s Auxerre in France.

2. Mick Jagger

The Rolling Stones lead singer for almost 50 years is still performing and still an Arsenal fan. No doubt he wrote “Jumping Jack Flash” about Arsenal future star Jack Wilshire (or maybe not), who signed with the Gunners  when he was just nine years old.

Gunners manager Arsene Wenger said he thought Jagger would make a phenomenal goalkeeper because of his agility. No, I guess it was myself who actually said that to my cat Saki. My bad.

1. The Queen

You can have no bigger fan in England than The Queen, and Arsenal can lay claim to that honor. Whereas Castro has to follow his Gunners from afar, The Queen and her monarchy get to watch the boys from close up. I’m sure if she wants to attend matches,she doesn’t have to worry about buying a ticket from a scalper. It’s good to be queen.

Conclusion

Besides this embarrassment of riches of famous fans backing Arsenal (Can you imagine a super-group with Mick Jagger, Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Jay-Z and Roger Daltrey?), the Gunners also have some other notable backers in politician Robin Cook, actor David Soul, golfer Ian Poulter and director Spike Lee.

There's no doubt every single person on the above list thinks that Robin van Persie should be the Player of the Year this season in the English Premier League...and hopes the talented Dutch striker stays in London next season.

 

> Follow Kevin on Twitter @KevinStott11

Kevin Stott has written sports for the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s View Newspapers and Gaming Today and despite being a hardcore Chelsea fan, was asked to write this story by his cat Saki, a whipped cream addict and heavy Arsenal supporter.