This weekend marks the end of the 2016-17 Premier League football (soccer) season. Chelsea Football Club has taken home this year’s title. As many readers may already know, Bond actors have their own favorites, something that has never been lost on the media. So how closely do we connect Bond and soccer? Maybe closer than we think.
For instance, Daniel Craig is a longtime supporter of Liverpool. He can often be seen attending games at Anfield, the Reds’ home stadium. But one sports commentator, Mike Parry, was none too pleased about Craig’s public appearance as a Liverpool supporter. Parry Tweeted,
"Absolutely disgraceful that James Bond has come out as a (Liverpool fan) … 007 belongs to this nation .. not one football club … any football club."
Though Parry was widely chastised for these comments, they leave no doubt as to the importance that both Bond and football play in English culture. This was well noted in Daniel Craig’s first Esquire interview in 2006, just prior to the release of Casino Royale.
But what are the allegiances of the previous Bond actors?
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Being Scottish, Sean Connery’s football fandom rests with the Scottish Premiership. He was a
long-time supporter of Celtic, which has now won the league title 48 times. However, Connery recently switched his support to Glasgow Rangers, a move that was not unnoticed by the press.
While George Lazenby’s football tastes are not entirely known (and if they were, they’d likely rest with Australian teams), Roger Moore is a fan of Reading Football Club. The team, known as the Royals, currently plays in the Championship League. The Royals made their first official appearance in the Premier League in 2006. In 2013, Moore confessed to being such a fan of the football club that he worried he’d miss an appearance in Reading:
"I just hope Reading aren’t playing the day I arrive as I might have to go and watch them and have my understudy take my part!"
Timothy Dalton is a fan of Derby County, another club currently competing in the Championship League. The Rams had a six-year run in the Premier League, from 1996 to 2002 and then returned again, for one season, in 2007-08.
Pierce Brosnan supports Tottenham Hotspur. He must be a happy fan, indeed, with Tottenham’s second place Premier League finish, placing them in the Champions League for 2017-18. However, this was also the team’s final season at White Hall Lane, their home stadium since 1899. So the end of the season may be bitterwseet for Brosnan, as with other Tottenham fans.
No doubt, with Liverpool and Tottenham qualifying for the Champions League next season, Craig and Brosnan are happy with the way the season has ended. Now, we are left to wonder if any side bets will be wagered between the two.