What football team does Jay-Z support?
It was a fine season to be an Arsenal fan, even if they did end up losing the Champions League final on penalties to PSG. But their performance in the Premier League, while at times painful to watch, saw them secure their first title in 22 years, pipping Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City to the top spot.
While the rivalry between Arsenal and Man City is fairly low-key compared to previous title run-ins, the fact remains that they are now direct peers and competitors. In other words, there’s no sitting on the fence. You can’t support both of them.
But some years ago, Jay-Z was accused of having split loyalties between the two teams. He has publicly claimed to be an Arsenal supporter, but, after he was photographed in the City end of a game between the teams in 2009, people accused him of actually being a City fan.
Jay pushed back against those claims during an interview with Arsenal Magazine the following year. He denied being a City fan, stating that “everybody in the UK knows that I am an Arsenal fan.”
The Brooklyn rapper insisted that he had first been drawn to the Gunners about five years previously, while Thierry Henry was still playing for them. Jay saw Henry performing and “just thought he was an amazing player.” He claimed to be a fan from that point on.
“Ever since then I have been a big fan of the club, following you guys, and still today you play the beautiful football that Thierry did,” he said. “I think he had a real long term-effect on the team.”
Jay also praised Cesc Fabregas, who was the club’s captain at the time the interview was being conducted. He then went so far as to invite the team’s players of the era to one of his gigs, whenever he was next performing in London.
“They can come and see me do my work,” he said, “and then I will come and see them do their work.”
Jay was insistent that he is an Arsenal fan, but Gooners have further reason to doubt his claims. In 2023 unverified rumours went around that he was interested in investing in their bitter North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur, while his Roc Nation company actually did recently strike a deal with London rivals Chelsea.