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Sheffield United may not be the biggest club in the Premier League but they certainly boast a notable number of celebrity supporters. It’s a club that generates local passion, after all – and that’s seen in those who grew up there.
Athletes, actors, musicians, and one Argentinian footballer all feature on a list of those struck by the Blades. Here’s Football FanCast’s pick of the bunch for Sheffield United’s most famous supporters.
8
Juan Sebastián Verón
Let’s get the strangest one out of the way first. Former Argentina international Juan Sebastián Verón was a Sheffield United fan in childhood and openly admitted wanting to play for them.
There’s a good reason for it, too. Verón’s uncle, Pedro Verde, spent time there at the tail-end of his career and it sparked interest in the young footballer-to-be.
“I was a fan of Sheffield United but I sadly never had the chance to play for them, but I would have wanted to!” Verón went on to say. Oh what could have been…
7
Jessica Ennis-Hill
An Olympic champion and a three-time World champion – Jessica Ennis-Hill is one of the most successful individual athletes to come out of Britain in recent years. She’s also born and raised in Sheffield.
Ennis-Hill is a Blades fan, too, and even had a stand named after her post-Olympic gold. However, that did change in 2015 when it was instead named after a sponsor.
6
Kell Brook
Sticking on the wildly successful athlete theme, Kell Brook is a Sheffield native who went on to hold the IBF Welterweight title for nearly three years between 2014 and 2017.
Brook is a lifelong fan of the Blades, as with just about everyone on this list, and even fought at Bramall Lane back in 2017.
“I’ve imagined this for weeks and I’ve dreamt about this since being a young kid,” he said ahead of that fight.
“I never thought I’d see a boxing ring on the pitch at Bramall Lane, but I’m ready and I’m determined and I’m excited. I’ve got a lot of memories of watching the Blades, my uncle used to throw me up in the air when we scored and at the weekend I want to be throwing my belt above my head once again.”
5
Joe Elliott
Joe Elliott, as the lead singer of Def Leppard, is in the discussion for the most successful person on this list. The band was formed in Sheffield back in 1976. Elliott is from the city and has called United his team all his life.
Sheffield has had more than their fair share of world-renowned music acts and Def Leppard are arguably the biggest. That other group that has an argument are all Wednesday fans, if you’re wondering.
4
Paul Heaton
Paul Heaton was born on the Wirral but moved to Sheffield when he was very young. He and his brothers all struck up an interest in football but while they all went with Wednesday, Paul followed United.
Heaton would go on to form the Housemartins and The Beautiful South, with massive success in the ’80s and early ’90s. And in terms of Blades fans, he might be one of the biggest on this list.
3
Joe Root
Former England Test Cricket captain Joe Root is another from Sheffield and has made no secret of his love for United. In fact, Root has appeared on the club’s social media channels several times, while one of the first interviews he gave after receiving the captaincy was at Bramall Lane.
His support runs through the family, too, it seems. “I’ve always been a Blade,” Root told the Athletic in 2020. “There were three generations of Roots there when I watched my first game. Myself and my brother, dad and grandad.”
Root, of course, will go down as an all-time great Test batsman – yet one more wildly successful name on this list, then.
2
Michael Palin
Michael Palin might be a bit of a controversial one on this list as he’s very openly talked about also wanting Wednesday to do well. The comedy legend is from Sheffield and grew up supporting the Blades – but he’s a little bit more about the city doing well than his club.
Here’s what he told When Saturday Comes back in 2000:
“United were the club I supported when I was growing up, mainly because their ground was the nearest to our house. I used to see Wednesday supporters as a different type of person, just… deeply disturbed. But then I was always excited when either club was involved in a big game and Wednesday tended to be involved in bigger games. When I first came to London, it was 1966 and Wednesday were in the Cup final, so I couldn’t say I wasn’t interested because they were from my city. Eric Idle was a big Chelsea fan and I used to go there to see either Sheffield team play. I found myself being sucked in as a sort of associate Wednesday fan, though I would have been disemboweled in Sheffield if they’d known that.”
Fans can make their own minds up whether they’re accepting that one or not.
1
Sean Bean
We thought we’d save the most famous Sheffield United fan until last. Sean Bean isn’t just the most famous person on this list, after all, but he’s also incredibly public with his love for them.
Bean has tattooed his support on his shoulder, while he’s also competed in charity matches and above all, served on the club’s board in the 2000s. He als, chewed-out manager Neil Warnock after the club were relegated from the Premier League back in 2007 – though, Bean claims this wasn’t as aggressive as the manager claimed in his book.
“Yes, I was looking for him after we were relegated – and I wasn’t the only one,” he said, per the Mirror. “We were all devastated. But I didn’t storm into Warnock’s office and confront his wife as he claims in his book. I was outside in the corridor when I told her what I thought of him.
“What I didn’t know was that his kid was behind the door and when someone pointed that out to me, I immediately apologised.”