Spiderman’s soft spot for Spurs and the Hollywood A-Lister with a Fulham affiliation… After Anne Hathaway revealed her love of Arsenal, can you match the celebrities to the surprising Premier League clubs they support?
Football fandom is a strange, often exhilarating, equally despairing kind of thing. For supporters across the globe, their team chose them, whether that be through family ties, geography or any another ethereal reason.
For others a selection is made, perhaps due to a team’s success or favourite player. Whatever the circumstance that leads an individual to agonise over every result their squad produces; once tethered it’s nigh on impossible to sever.
The weird and wonderful complexities of being a fan do not discriminate. Many of the world’s most famous names and faces may not be able to attend every home game – though, plenty still manage to pop up from time-to-time – but that alone should not denigrate their devotion.
Take Hollywood actress Anne Hathaway, who recently interrupted an interview to ‘get Mikel Arteta’s attention’ ahead of Arsenal‘s clash with Aston Villa, or Tom Holland’s attempts to lure Kylian Mbappe to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Celebrities love their Premier League teams all the same. Here, Mail Sport takes a look at some of those stars and the clubs they’ve decided to tie their happiness to.
Hollywood actress Anne Hathaway has been promoting her new film The Idea Of, where she stars alongside co-star and fellow Arsenal fan Nicholas Galitzine
Cara Delevingne stopped by Stamford Bridge to cheer on Chelsea during their Premier League clash against Manchester United
Hollywood actor Tom Holland met Kylian Mbappe at the Ballon d’Or ceremony last year
Anne Hathaway
Let’s begin with the Oscar-winning actress, whose love for the red half of north London was previously unknown. The 41-year-old was promoting her new movie, The Idea of You, alongside die-hard Gooner and co-star Nicholas Galitzine.
During a chat with Interview Magazine, the Princess Diaries star said: ‘Okay, next question. What formation should Arsenal be playing in?’
Her shocked co-star replied: ‘Oh, thank you, Anne Hathaway! The people at Interview don’t know that we’re both diehard Arsenal fans.
‘I really believe we’re in a great place right now. Is this a genuine question? Because I will tell you.’
To which Hathaway said: ‘I just thought this is a good chance to get Mikel Arteta’s attention.’ Galitzine then proceeded to share his view on the system the Spanish coach should deploy.
Hathaway would have been distraught by the manner in which Arsenal exited the Champions League on Wednesday night, though, the Arsenal faithful can still take hope in winning the Premier League.
Hathaway revealed her support for Premier League giants Arsenal in a recent interview
The Princess Diaries star discussed the tactical system Mikel Arteta (pictured) should employ
Spiderman himself is a Tottenham fan. The 27-year-old Londoner has been outspoken in his love of Spurs in the past, and even tried to persuade Kylian Mbappe to join the club during the 2021 Ballon d’Or gala.
Holland said in an interview with Unilad last year that supporting the club has taught him ‘resilience’. Feels like a bit of a dig.
‘Tottenham has never won anything,’ he added. ‘And supporting them is incredibly difficult.’
Little did he know, the fortunes of Tottenham fans was about to change. The arrival of Ange Postecoglou has breathed new life into a fanbase starved of exciting football.
And despite their recent wobbles, it’s likely Holland retains similar feelings to the ones he shared with the club’s website in September.
‘It seems like they are playing really great football. The lads seem like they are really enjoying it so us, as Tottenham fans, right now, it feels really good.’
Born in Kingston-upon-Thames, Holland managed to take some time out of his relentless Marvel schedule to see his beloved side get hammered 3-0 at home by Manchester United in 2021.
Spiderman actor Tom Holland has been outspoken in his love of Tottenham in the past
The 27-year-old (far right) was pictured at a home game against Manchester United in 2021
On the topic of the Red Devils and celebrity sightings, Harry Styles was all smiles as he was pictured for game at Kenilworth Road in February.
The pop superstar has long been a fan of United, having previously been pictured in the club’s kit during his time with One Direction.
TV cameras caught Styles meeting the Sky Sports team in the gantry, and he was pictured alongside Gary Neville, Jamie Redknapp, Curtis Davies and Hatters’ captain Tom Lockyer prior to kick-off.
Styles is known for his unlikely friendship with Rio Ferdinand, with the former United stalwart bringing Styles one of his shirts to wear on stage for a One Direction concert at the Manchester Arena in 2013.
The 30-year-old also previously enjoyed a kickabout with club legend David Beckham and his son, Brooklyn, in 2015.
Styles was able to enjoy a United win, thanks to a brace from Rasmus Hojlund, on his trip to the smallest Premier League ground.
Harry Styles watched on from the stands as Manchester United defeated Luton on Sunday
Talk of Styles and Cara Delevingne’s secret relationship was all the rage about a decade ago. The two were spotted in a theatre and then there were reports that Styles rushed back from LA to see her.
Sadly things didn’t’ work out, reports citied ‘career concerns’ but perhaps it was because they could never reconcile their competing footballing loyalties.
The model, actress and livelong Chelsea fan Delevingne, popped up at Stamford Bridge again this month to passionately cheer on her squad.
The 31-year-old took a well-earned break from performing in Cabaret, amid her successful West End stage debut. She spent the first half of the match in the owners’ box, before enjoying the second half in a £4,000 seat in the dugout.
Fully immersed in the thrilling atmosphere, Delevingne hoisted her blue and white scarf above her head and screamed her team on to victory from the sidelines.
And what a game it was to attend, the Blues ran out 4-3 victors over Harry’s team.
Fully immersed in the thrilling atmosphere, Delevingne hoisted her blue and white scarf above her head and screamed her team on to victory from the sidelines
We stay in west London for an admittedly tenuous link, but a link nonetheless. Back in 2014, Wolf of Wall Street and Barbie star Margot Robbie attended Craven Cottage to watch a Fulham side – then managed by Felix Magath – take on Millwall.
Despite witnessing a 1-0 defeat for the home side, the Australian actress revealed in an interview four years later that, even though she is yet to return to the ground, her ‘allegiance’ remains with Fulham.
‘I actually haven’t been to another Fulham game in a while but they’re playing tomorrow,’ she told BBC Sport ahead of a huge Championship clash against Aston Villa.
‘It’s my two best friends, my husband and my other best friend Josie.’ She explained.
‘Aston Villa’s Josie’s team, Fulham is Tom’s team, and they’re going to the game and it’s very tense already. I’m on the edge of my seat to see who wins.
‘I’ve pledged my allegiance to Fulham so I want Fulham to win.’
Margot Robbie starred in the 2023 mega hit Hollywood film Barbie alongside Ryan Gosling
Fulham beat Villa 2-0 in February 2018 meeting Robbie was present for, before prevailing once more, this time in the play-off final in May.
The Midlands outfit would have to wait an additional season to end their exile from the top-flight and among those rejoicing when Dean Smith’s side earned a 2-1 victory over Derby at Wembley was Tom Hanks.
Yes, that Tom Hanks. Two-time Oscar winner and star of numerous classics. Hanks has expressed his passion for Villa as far back as January 2008. He has claimed that the team’s name, which conjured daydreams of picturesque vacation spots, is the primary reason why he began supporting the outfit.
Regardless, Hanks had been on quest – reminiscent of the odyssey his iconic 1994 character Forest Gump undertook across the US – to watch a match a Villa Park.
He was finally able to accomplish his mission when he attended Villa’s 4-2 defeat to Arsenal at the end of last season. After meeting Unai Emery’s squad in the dressing room ahead of the game, the 67-year-old was seen taking in the action from the directors’ box.
‘I try to keep up.’ he said of his support in a 2013 interview with Channel 5. ‘I have a very good friend that lives and dies by Aston Villa, he’s in Los Angeles as well, so I’m always getting my updates from him.’
Tom Hanks (middle) took in his first Premier League game in Aston Villa’s 4-2 defeat to Arsenal last season
LeBron James
‘Back the f*** off. Knocking over my wife.’ Tom Hanks yelled to a group of fans who had threatened to bowl over his spouse Rita Wilson.
Footage of the June 2022 exchange quickly went viral, with many surprised by Hanks momentarily losing his nice guy persona, while others lauded his stern stance. LeBron James was in the latter camp. A man extremely well placed to empathies.
A near infinite number of pictures must have been taken of the 39-year-old at this stage, from action shots on the court to snaps in more intimate settings. Nowadays, though, it’s not uncommon to see pictures of the NBA superstar with a Liver Bird on his chest.
James is a minority shareholder in Liverpool, having first bought a two per cent stake in 2011 for £4.7million with business partner Maverick Carter, the same year FSG bought Liverpool for £300m.
Last year, the Reds unveiled special edition LeBron James collection after he became the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. The LFC X LeBron collection features both a fashion and footwear range which the club says ’embodies a long-standing connection between two global sporting icons, celebrating our shared values and illustrious histories’.
This certainly explains some of his loyalty to the Anfield club but after more than a decade connected to the outfit, it’s probably fair to say he has built up some affection.
NBA legend LeBron James has taken to wearing Liverpool jerseys following the release of his personalised collection
James wore sneakers with the Liver Bird on each heel during an NBA game in New York in 2023
In June 2022, Forbes named LeBron James as the first active NBA player to become a billionaire with his stake in FSG worth £74m. Unlike the sporting megastar, the best the average person can do by way of financial advice is consumer champion Martin Lewis.
Born in Manchester, the money-saving expert is an avid Manchester City supporter and has publicly shown his support on social media.
‘To City fans: COME ON!!!! To friendly United fans: Thanks for the banter. To abusive United fans: Grow up.’ Lewis wrote on X, formerly Twitter, after City’s 2-1 win at Old Trafford in April 2013.
In the more than decade that has followed, one would imagine Lewis – as countless other City fans – is bored senseless of their relentless winning. Or maybe not.
AT the very least. he continues to provide vital tips on how to make your hard-earned cash go further in these most trying of times.
Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis is a huge Manchester City supporter and has even made his adoration public on social media
Lewis had a few words with City and even some Man United fans after the Cityzens beat their arch rivals at Old Trafford in 2013
WWE boss Triple H is one of the most famous people in the West Ham fanbase
Triple H
Last month, Lewis made one of his regular appearances on This Morning Today to explain how you can make money – simply by changing your bank account.
Lewis joined hosts Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard, a livelong West Ham supporter, on the programme. Hammers fans like Shephard have been on quite the journey since moving to London Stadium, culminating in winning the Conference League in 2023.
James Corden and Danny Dyer are just a couple of the famous faces spotted at the ground and Shephard is certainly a widely-known figure, owing to his role on daytime TV.
But WWE boss and former star Triple H could stake a claim to be the Hammer’s most famous of all. The 54-year-old is a big supporter of the Irons, and he has even compared the West Ham fanbase to WWE’s.
‘West Ham is probably the closest to what we do, with the passion of their fanbase and their loyalty, right? That’s the closest to what we do,’ he told ITV in 2015.
