In a recent edition of The Knowledge, readers explored the curious phenomenon of footballers whose names have been used as song titles. The query was sparked by Will Unwin, who noted CMAT's song 'Vincent Kompany' and wondered if other players had been similarly honoured.
Music enthusiast John Brewin offered several examples. Joe Strummer, the late Clash frontman and Chelsea fan, released a track called 'Tony Adams' on his 1999 album with the Mescaleros. Strummer praised Adams for his battle against alcoholism, saying: 'No one in this country rose up when he was denied the England armband, while he was winning his own fight against alcoholism.'
Other suggestions included 'Stan Bowles' by the Others, a tribute to the QPR forward and a nod to Pete Doherty; 'Hugh Dallas' by Mogwai, honouring the Scottish referee; and 'Eusébio' by Louis Philippe, the musical alias of Guardian contributor Philippe Auclair. Florian Camphausen recalled the 1983 German hit 'Rummenigge' by Alan & Denise, a synth-pop ode to Karl-Heinz Rummenigge's 'sexy knees'.
More recent entries include 'Trinity Rodman' by Adam Pastel, performed at a Washington Spirit match, and 'Zinedine Zidane' by Australian funk band Vaudeville Smash, featuring commentator Les Murray. From Japan, Yukari Fresh released songs named after Paul Scholes, Michael Owen and David Beckham in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
