Last Night A Mixtape Saved My Life

The world of pop music and that of sport, particularly "football", have been inextricably linked for decades. This is surely thanks in part to the home of football, the United Kingdom, where a passion for the game and a passion for rock have long coexisted, with countless rock stars making no secret of their football fever and often channelling it into their songs.

One example above all is the writer who best embodies both music obsessives and die-hard football fans: Nick Hornby, who wrote a bible for each of the two categories – "Fever Pitch" for football fans and "High Fidelity" for rock fans.

This short, by no means exhaustive playlist aims to gather, in anthology form, the many ways in which the world of football has invaded the field of popular music.

Here you'll find a number of anthems dedicated to club or national teams, such as the evergreen "Three Lions", dedicated to the England national team by Baddiel, Skinner & Lightning Seeds (yes, the one that goes "It's Coming Home"), or Italy's own "Roma Roma" by Antonello Venditti, dedicated to the Rome club (no need to say which one), or again "Together Stronger (C'mon Wales)" by Manic Street Preachers. And, of course, the legendary Liverpool anthem "You'll Never Walk Alone", featured on this list in the drowsy version by Lana Del Rey.

Then there are numerous rock songs that became football anthems almost against the intentions of the people who wrote them. No list of this kind could leave out the soundtrack to Italy's 2006 World Cup win, namely "Seven Nation Army" by the White Stripes and its earworm po popopo po po po. But also "United" by Judas Priest, "Just Can't Get Enough" by Depeche Mode and, naturally, "We Will Rock You" by Queen.

Conversely, countless artists have tried their hand at composing actual theme songs for football tournaments such as the Euros or the World Cup. Don't worry, though: on this playlist you won't find any "Waka Waka", but rather New Order, Graham Coxon with his Fat Les, and our own Edoardo Bennato and Gianna Nannini.

In a country as morbidly attached to football as Italy, the beautiful game could hardly avoid becoming a metaphor for life itself, as happens in the song chosen as the fitting title of this feature, Ligabue's "Una vita da mediano", and in the wonderful "La leva calcistica della classe '68" by Francesco De Gregori.

Among famous fans, rather than the Manchester City-supporting Gallagher brothers, I chose to include Kasabian, whose "Underdog" (a term referring to the team not expected to win a competition) almost prophesied the fairytale season of their beloved (and Ranieri's) Leicester. Due to his roots, the band's guitarist Sergio Pizzorno is, incidentally, a huge Genoa fan.

No such list could be complete without a brief video-game selection, featuring songs that became football classics thanks to their inclusion on the soundtrack of the legendary FIFA 98 and its sequels. I'm talking, of course, about the various "Song 2" by Blur and "Tubthumping" by Chumbawamba.

As a Napoli fan (all other fans will forgive me), I could only close the compilation with a hat-trick dedicated to my team and to Maradona. It starts with "Live Is Life" by Opus, the soundtrack to Diego Armando's legendary keep-ups during the warm-up before the match against Bayern Munich, and continues with the inevitable "Santa Maradona" by Manu Chao and Mano Negra.

I have, however, spared you Nino D'Angelo, opting instead for "We Come From Napoli" by Liberato, a track taken from the soundtrack of "Ultras" and co-produced by another huge Napoli fan: Robert Del Naja of Massive Attack.

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21/12/2025