Courtney Love has emerged as one of the loudest cheerleaders for the English national men’s football team at this summer’s FIFA World Cup, comparing their recent 3-2 win over Mexico to the experience of seeing The Clash and The Rolling Stones play live at the peak of their powers.
Former Hole leader Love has long been an Anglophile, championing British bands, artists and writers, has been resident in England since 2019, and recently revealed that she has applied for British citizenship. Even so, for those who view her as one of the most inspirational ‘faces’ and personalities of the ’90s US alternative rock, it’s something of a surprise to see her conversion into a diehard ‘soccer’ fan.
“the heart wants what the heart wants,” Love posted on Instagram ahead of the Mexico vs England clash on July 6, waving an England flag while sitting in her car listening to Three Lions, the popular terrace anthem originally released by comedians David Baddiel and Frank Skinner, and The Lightning Seeds in 1996. “I’m from California . But I NEED! England to bring it home.”
Post-game, in an Instagram reel that seems to have now been deleted, Love hailed the match at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City as “the greatest.”
“It wasn’t a football game, it was The Clash in 1977!” she gushes, “It was what I read about the Rolling Stones in 1970, it was like blood on the fucking stage, it was so fucking good.”
Love went on to say that “that team better do it again in Miami”, referring to England’s upcoming quarter-final match against Norway on July 11, before adding, “if nothing else happens, that was enough.”
“Oh my god, I’m a convert,” Love adds. “They won no matter what.”
Taking on the spirit of England’s German manager Thomas Tuchel, Love then cautions against the team collecting bookings in the next game, mindful that Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham, Marc Guehi and Nico O’Reilly all face the prospect of being suspended for the tournament sem-final should they a) pick up another yellow card and b) triumph over Norway.
Back to channelling her inner Gary Neville, Love signs off by describing the win over Mexico as “amazing, so beautiful, the most beautiful thing I’ve seen in years.”
“England, I love you,” she concludes, “I love you a lot. Bye, bye, beautiful team.”
