The Best Soccer-Inspired Lyrics In Rap This Year, So Far

Yahoo

3 days ago

From Central Cee to Travis Scott, plenty of artists have dropped footy references in their bars this year.
England is once again on top of the football world. The women's national team beat Spain in penalties to win the 2025 EURO tournament and bring the trophy home.
The country is also making a major statement in the music game this year. Skepta ignited a debate over whether the United States remains seated in the hip-hop throne or if the United Kingdom has invaded. This is not the article for that debate, but British rappers certainly dominate this conversation of football bars.
Central Cee is perhaps the artist best bridging the Atlantic Ocean right now by weaving American pop culture into his bars. And he's had plenty of soccer references throughout his catalogue, including his chart-topping album, Can't Rush Greatness. Well-known football fans AJ Tracey and Aitch are more fierce about their heritage and made sure their projects were heavy-laden with football bars.
These artists flex their knowledge of legacy Premier League clubs like Manchester United and Tottenham and players old and new. But the lyrics aren't contained to England. Teams from Spain, Italy and Germany are celebrated too.
Here's the best soccer lyrics of 2025 so far:
Central Cee ft. 21 Savage — 'GBP'
Central Cee made a splash bridging the gap between the U.K. and U.S. with Can't Rush Greatness. The album did so with the help of some American sports references. But he started the year in January with the single 'GBP' featuring 21 Savage and a strong soccer tie. In his verse, 21 raps 'Up on the opps, 7 to nil/Premier League, I'm in the field.' He's saying he is the elite of the elite by comparing himself to the top tier of English football, referencing Liverpool's infamous 7-0 victory over Manchester United.
21 Savage is no stranger to a football bar either, rapping 'Still gotta see the Gunners win the Premier League' on 'Circo Loco' from his 2022 collaborative album with Drake, Her Loss.
Aitch ft. Avelino — 'Business'
Aitch, who is a big Manchester United supporter, filled his album 4, with several football references. His song 'Business' shows his love for the Red Devils when he compares himself to the club's iconic manager.
'When the clock hits, I'm Alex Ferguson,' he raps. He later gives props to former Manchester United forward Teddy Sheringham when he goes, 'Wrapped around the head like that bandage on Teddy Sheringham.'
He then shouts out rising English star Jude Bellingham with, 'Balling out, the boys' names ringing like he's from Birmingham/Bellingham, took Ls dealt with them with elegance.'
Aitch also salutes another current Three Lions player when he mentions Harry Kane, who now plays for Bundesliga club Bayern Munich. 'Brodie come like Bayern Munich how he's bringing in Kane.'
AJ Tracey — 'Second Nature'
AJ Tracey's Don't Die Before You're Dead is dripping with soccer references. While he's not directly shouting out a player or a club on 'Second Nature,' the MC is referencing a football team when he says, 'You can't chat to a first team player like me from the bench when a man's not starting.' He's declaring himself a starter in the rap game, so bench-warmers beware.
Jim Legxacy — ''06 Wayne Rooney'
Jim Legxacy made a major splash with his angsty black british music (2025) album. He doesn't mention the Manchester United legend in the lyrics of ''06 Wayne Rooney,' but the title of the track is an obvious tribute to the English forward. Legxacy ponders 'How'd I get here?' after losing the high of a party and hard reality sets in. England was knocked out of the quarterfinals of the 2006 World Cup, a match in which Rooney was infamously sent off.
Aitch ft. Headie One — 'GR4VEY4RD SHIFT'
On his 4 album closer, 'GR4VEY4RD SHIFT' Aitch gives Headie One room to assess his mental state and a soccer-infused line helps show the duality he's experiencing.
'Right now I've been feeling like Sterling/The hand ting Haaland got me feeling like Erling,' he raps, shouting out current and former Manchester City stars Erling Haaland and Raheem Sterling.
English star Raheem Sterling and Norwegian phenom (who plays for Manchester City) Erling Haaland.
AJ Tracey — 'Talking Stage'
AJ Tracey is a proud Englishman, but he shows love to Spanish club Real Madrid on 'Talking Stage,' a braggadocious song about ambition and navigating women. He raps, 'My OG pulls all the strings, he's Jude/But my young G shoots like Endrick,' referring to Real Madrid young stars Jude Bellingham and Endrick.
Travis Scott ft. Sheck Wes — '2000 Excursion'
Remember 'Mo Bamba?' It's been seven years since Sheck Wes released the mega hit. He hasn't made nearly as much noise as that song since, but he popped up on Travis Scott's Jackboys 2 album with a fire soccer bar. He associates himself with the greats when he raps 'I score goals like Pelé, Zizou, Ginola, Galatasaray.'
Travis Scott is getting himself entrenched within the soccer world as well, collaborating with Nike for an FC Barcelona kit as well as the recent Toma El Juego event in Los Angeles.
AJ Tracey — 'Joga Bonito'
The title of 'Joga Bonito' is a tribute to the beautiful game, specifically the style of play that has made Brazil so iconic. AJ Tracey jumps into the track by rapping, 'My Sofascore says 9/Would be 10 if the opps weren't divin,' referring to the football stat tracker. He also compares himself and his crew to a squad when he says, 'Too many goals from central/We went to the party wit' gang and we led the attack.' And that's not all. Chelsea used the song to announce they signed Jadon Sancho.
Aitch ft. AJ Tracey — 'Test'
Even though EA Sports dropped its FIFA affiliation in 2022, everyone still calls the soccer video game 'FIFA.' And AJ Tracey is one of us! On Aitch's 'Test,' he says, 'I called up gang like, 'Who's on FIFA?''
Travis Scott — 'Florida Flow'
Another quick FIFA reference is on Travis Scott's 'Florida Flow.' The line comes at the end of the song, which is the end of the entire Jackboys 2 album, and is part of a jumbled list of shoutouts. Among them is La Flame declaring, 'Plug FIFA, hot, sweet spot.' Because why not?
AJ Tracey — 'Friday Prayer'
AJ Tracey is a longtime Tottenham supporter. But on his Don't Die Before You're Dead album, he shows a bit of love to Chelsea. On 'Friday Prayer' he flexes his ability to connect with larger pop culture, not just his own club, when he raps, 'I'm cold like Cole Palmer on a pen.' Palmer is, of course, Chelsea's superstar taking over the soccer world with his athletic prowess and shiver celebration. He and Tracey clearly both know the art of keeping things cool.
AJ Tracey — 'Imposter Syndrome'
AJ Tracey continues to display his love for football on 'Imposter Syndrome.' He gives a nod to Serie A club AC Milan and their partnership with Off-White. 'It's Off-White x AC Milan, this isn't khaki,' Tracey raps. The late Virgil Abloh's company is the team's 'style and culture curator.' Since announcing the partnership in 2022, the brand has worked with the Italian side on kits, merchandise, and more.
Wretch 32 ft. Kano — 'Home Sweet Home'
Wretch 32 released a powerful album in the form of Home? On 'Home Sweet Home,' his fellow rap veteran Kano utilizes soccer to ponder nationalism and race. He would rather rep Jamaica's Reggae Boyz than England's Three Lions when he says, ''I rock the three stripes, but there was never three lions on my shirt/If ah nuh rasta.'
He then references famous Black footballers to show how England embraces Black men, but only to an extent. 'Seventy-three years of hurt, jewels still gleaming though John Barnes, Carlton Palmer, Dez Walker, Ian though Country and the Queen/But if they took a penalty, we couldn't look into the screen that was the talk amongst the n*****.'
The multi-hyphenate then shouts out Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford as current English stars who face backlash for the color of their skin, particularly after the pair missed penalty shots in the 2020 EURO final. Kano spits, 'Bet Saka never felt Blacker/And Rashford was the bees till finals,' reminding us that public praise is temporary.