Arsenal have a lot of celebrity fans with the football club being one of the biggest and most successful teams in history. So, Arsenal Insider has looked into 10 famous names that you probably didn’t know were Gunners fans.
Emirates Stadium has seen its fair share of high-profile names in the stands. But their fan base spreads much further afield with a global reach thanks to some great teams admired worldwide. A wide range of celebrities from politicians to actors are known to be huge followers of Arsenal in the Premier League and beyond.
In the domestic game, few teams have conjured up a better record with Arsenal’s trophy cabinet boasting 14 FA Cup and 13 top-flight titles. From Highbury to the late Arsene Wenger days, it has all helped the Gunners build up a fanbase of loyal followers. So, Arsenal Insider has looked at 10 of their famous fans…
Colin Firth
The Academy Award-winning actor is widely recognised for his acting roles in films such as ‘The King’s Speech’ and ‘Pride and Prejudice’. However, beyond with career, he is a passionate Arsenal supporter and attends games from time to time.
His loyalty to the Gunners was clear to see in the 1997 film ‘Fever Pitch,’ where Firth portrayed Paul Ashworth, a devoted Arsenal fan navigating everyday life alongside the many ups and downs of being an Arsenal fan in the 1988/89 season. Victory over Liverpool in that game is still one of the fondest memories within the Arsenal trophy cabinet.
Firth has also been pictured in the stands at Emirates Stadium.
Daniel Kaluuya
Continuing on the theme of famous Arsenal-supporting actors, Daniel Kaluuya is one of the world’s biggest actors after rising to fame with roles in movies such as ‘Get Out’ and ‘Black Panther’.
The English actor has been a vocal supporter and was even chosen to narrate the Amazon Prime documentary series, ‘All or Nothing: Arsenal,’ following the 2021/22 season behind the scenes.
Speaking at the premiere of the documentary series, Kaluuya also opened up on being a celebrity Arsenal fan.
“The best thing about being an Arsenal fan is that we’re the best,” Kaluuya told JOE in August 2022.
Giannis Antetokounmpo
The Greek NBA star has been an avid Arsenal fan since he was a kid. His father, Charles used to be a footballer himself, and ‘The Greek Freak’ also played until he picked up basketball at the age of 13. Antetokounmpo has admitted that his favourite player was Thierry Henry, even though he has pledged allegiance to another team in the meantime because of a legendary striker he admires.
Speaking to Arsenal’s in-house media, he once said: “I am an Arsenal fan, but I like PSG. I liked PSG when Zlatan Ibrahimovic was on the team, but deep down I am an Arsenal fan.”
Keir Starmer
The United Kingdom’s new Prime Minister and leader of the Labour Party Keir Starmer is known to have a season ticket at Arsenal and is a big admirer of the team. One of his first acts as PM was to gift President Joe Biden an Arsenal shirt with #46 on the back as a reference to his presidential number.
Starmer claims he had a part to play in Declan Rice’s long-awaited transfer to the club after he met the player when Arsenal played away to West Ham in 2022/23.
Speaking to The Telegraph, Starmer said: “So, when we played away at West Ham last year and Declan was still a West Ham player I took my son. Mark Noble, Mr West Ham, took us down to meet Declan. And so my boy had his programme open ready for signing and obviously we put the contract [for Arsenal] in underneath! Declan signed it and thought he was signing the programme, but actually he was signing for Arsenal!”
Matt Damon
The Oscar-winning actor is renowned for his roles in ‘Good Will Hunting’ and the ‘Bourne’ series, he also has a soft spot for Arsenal. When a charity that was set up by former Arsenal goalkeeper Bob Wilson in the 1960s asked Hollywood stars to create some artwork for an event, Damon made his stance clear as a Gooner. In an iconic move, the 53-year-old wrote ‘Tottenham sucks… Go Arsenal!’ across his piece.
He was also spotted in the crowd supporting Arsenal away from home at Stamford Bridge in 2010.
Jess Glynne
A Grammy-winning singer-songwriter and a huge Arsenal fan is quite the combination. The ‘Rather Be’ singer has shown her unwavering support for the Gunners on a couple of occasions. One time during a radio interview, she refused to do a Tottenham-related dare. The presenter asked her to sing a version of ‘Glory Glory, Tottenham Hotspur’ for the cameras. Looking at him in complete disbelief, Glynne refused point blank, saying ‘I wouldn’t even dare.’
She is currently in a relationship with former Arsenal player Alex Scott, who joined the club at the age of eight.
Anne Hathaway
Surprisingly, one of the most well-known Arsenal fans of them all is Anne Hathaway after she is her obsession with the north London club and in particular, winger Leandro Trossard, became clear.
During a movie junket, Hathaway’s co-star Nicholas Galitzine told her that Arsenal has taken the lead during a game and her devotion to the club became widely spoken about. In footage released by interviewer Lauren Veneziani on X, she passionately fist-pumped for a Trossard goal against Wolves and the rest is history.
The Belgian international had to reply and he did just that. In a video clip shown on American TV show Today, with Hathaway was a guest, Trossard said “Hey Anne, I really loved your celebration the other day for my goal. Keep supporting us and I’ll hopefully see you soon at the Emirates.”
Dara Ó Briain
A season ticket holder, the Irish comedian is known for being an ardent Arsenal follower and he has even written about the club in his younger days. He’s well-known to tweet about the team and in an interview with The Athletic, O Briain was asked about falling back in love with Arsenal under Arteta.
“Oh, it’s been huge. The 11-year-old being mad into it adds to it. It just feels exciting. It feels fresh. I don’t think it felt quite like this before in that stadium. I’m one of the people who got to go when Arsenal moved to the Emirates. I got in a couple of times to Highbury but I never had a season ticket. I’m one of the 15,000 who got in when the list expanded,” he said.
Danny DeVito
The American actor is famous around the world after appearing in the likes of ‘Matilda’ and ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,’ on top of that, his affinity to Arsenal is no secret.
Gooners all over the world fell in love with his Tottenham jibe when he presented an award at the National Television Awards in 2019. While on stage, the ‘LA Confidential’ star decided it was time for a monologue about Arsenal.
“This is a big week for me this week. It’s really nice for me to be here, I’ve got an Arsenal game on Friday night
“I’ve got tryouts. I’m going to get Petr Cech’s job – he’s a goalie. Go Arsenal,” the actor explained.
Lewis Hamilton
F1 star Lewis Hamilton has said he’s been ‘waiting my whole life’ to see Arsenal challenge for the Premier League title again in a GQ Sport interview earlier this year.
Hamilton has been an Arsenal supporter since the age of five or six. After being uncertain about who to pledge his allegiance to, he admitted in a Sky Sports interview that he was made to choose.
“I remember switching between these teams when I was younger and getting home and my sister punching me several times in the arm, beating me and saying ‘you have to support Arsenal’, so I remember at five or six years old that I became a supporter of Arsenal.”
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