Not a reference to the real Dutch or Czech teams, but to a fictional Greek one. вЂњEnglish Chelsea fan this is your last game (Hey!)/WeвЂ™re not Galatasary WeвЂ™re Sparta F.C. One rung higher than Sven Sven Sven in the вЂtributes to managersвЂ™ category, but thatвЂ™s not saying a lot. Oh, you thought there would be only one Stoke City reference in here? вЂњTony Pulis, one hell of a bloke/Tony Pulis, he manages StokeвЂќ SlowthaiвЂ™s вЂNothing Great About BritainвЂ™ is one of the best debut albums of 2019, and also the only one weвЂ™ve been able to find that references Stoke City centre-back Ryan Shawcross.Д¬oincidence? We think not.

вЂњDefending my team like Shawcross/CanвЂ™t talk about steez rocking boot cutsвЂќ Oh, and one of the teams faced by Manchester United in their 1983-84 Cup WinnersвЂ™ Cup run. The song in question covers Subbuteo, European football and unemployment benefits, while few others can muster even two. We could have chosen any number of HMHB lyrics here, but the reference to the now-defunct Czech club is probably their most famous.

вЂњAnd heвЂ™d managed to get hold of a Dukla Prague away kit/вЂCos his uncle owned a sports shop and heвЂ™d kept it to one side/And after only five minutes youвЂ™d be down to 10 men/вЂCos heвЂ™d sent off your right-back for taking the base from under his left wingerвЂќ п»ї Half Man Half Biscuit вЂ“ All I Want for Christmas is a Dukla Prague Away Kit The Hungarian manager, whose European curse on Benfica still reigns supreme, is the perfect fit for the English bandвЂ™s brand of misanthropy. LC!вЂ™s album вЂNo BluesвЂ™ is packed with football references, with Tony Yeboah, Antonin Panenka and Joseph-Desire Job all featuring (not on vocals, that would be ridiculous), but the reference to Guttman is the highlight. вЂњA BГ©la Guttman of love/Curse all my exes to a life of celibacyвЂќ Wiley is known as the Godfather of Grime, so itвЂ™s fitting that he pays tribute to two of the godfathers of Dutch football.ДЄs a Spurs fan, he must have been conflicted when his team eliminated RijkaardвЂ™s old club in the Champions League. вЂњWhen I get the ball, I know where to put it/IвЂ™m a don like Frank Rijkaard and Ruud GullitвЂќ

We did find this, though, about a trip to Lisbon and a Benfica cup game that we canвЂ™t identify. Durham band Martha are big football fans, but the references to the beautiful game arenвЂ™t especially free-flowing in their music. вЂњOh God how wonderful it is/Crossing bridges in the mist/Гresund across the Tejo/Behind on aggregate away/But Benfica still went through/And we still spent an afternoon/At the Gulbenkian museum/Sharing stories in the shade, oh what a dayвЂќД¬o. ThatвЂ™s right, the reference to Thiago Silva is one of three nods to footballers, along with a mention of Sergio AgГјero (вЂIf I bang manвЂ™s face, man bop, then lean/Kun AgГјero, man dropped the shoulder feint onceвЂ™) and KakГЎвЂ™s move to Orlando City.Д®lsewhere in DaveвЂ™s back catalogue you can find mentions of Chelsea men past and present Alexandre Pato and NвЂ™Golo KantГ©, among others. 44 chopper/In the black Nike bomber, heartbeat stopper/ Half-heart MC dropper/45 wapper, leave you in the states like KakГЎвЂќ His hit вЂThiago SilvaвЂ™ is packed to the gills with nods to some of the worldвЂ™s best players, but heвЂ™s not the only musician to go that way. We were instead excited by the prospect of a wave of football-related lyrics going viral, not that Dave вЂ“ an Ivor Novello Award winner, no less вЂ“ is small-fry. When grime artist Dave invited a fan stage at Glastonbury, most peopleвЂ™s eyes were drawn to the impromptu performance from 15-year-old Alex.

Fifa 2010 song lyric