Stormzy has been grabbing headlines after taking on the role of football pundit following Manchester United‘s win over Liverpool yesterday.
The trailblazing London-born rapper – who is just one of Manchester United’s famous fans – has being going viral on social media after he jubilantly gatecrashed a live TV interview on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football (MNF) programme and shared his views about the Red Devils’ 2-1 impressive victory over Liverpool last night.
While the usual MNF cast of Gary Neville, Jamie Carragher, and Roy Keane stood in front of an empty Old Trafford in the classic Manchester rain to give their post-match verdict of United’s first Premier League win of the 2022/23 season over fierce North West rivals, the 29-year-old chart-topping grime MC was spotted at the side of the pitch off camera.
He was then ushered in by Neville, and greeted the three former footballers and host with a hand shake.
Dressed in a Manchester United top with his hood up, and stood alongside his young nephews who also appeared on camera, Stormzy waved at some fans who recognised him from the stands and then admitted that he was “a bit flustered right now”.
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“I’ve never met these guys before. We were just walking past and we were starstruck and someone gave me a mic and I’m up here like ‘Mum, I made it’,” he added with a smile
“This is sick though. Man’s on telly with the boys.”
After getting over initially being starstruck and settling into the role of would-be football pundit, the MNF team wanted to make the most of having the former Glastonbury headliner with them, and continued to ask him a couple of questions.
When asked to offer his opinion of Manchester United’s star striker Cristiano Ronaldo – who was actually dropped from the starting lineup by new manager Erik ten Hag for the Liverpool clash, Stormzy continued: “You know what it is with Ronaldo, when he’s that great, you can’t speak on him man.
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“You’ve just got to let the man be great, do you know what I mean? There’s been a bit of a fuss but that’s a GOAT.
“You just have to let the GOATs be the GOATs.”
For fans of the Vossi Bop singer, his presence at Old Trafford might not come as much of a shock, but not everyone understood what was happening, with United’s former captain Roy Keane appearing quite shocked, adding: “I thought this was a football show, what’s happening?”
Manchester United fan Stormzy appeared on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football programme to share his thoughts on the 2-1 win over Liverpool / Credit: Sky Sports (via YouTube)
After the interview aired live on Sky Sports, clips have been circulating on social media and racking up tens of thousands of views and interactions from football fans – with many commenting how funny it was to see a famous person still able to be starstruck.
“Stormzy headlined Glastonbury at 25 but is flustered by being interviewed on MNF – what a man,” one person said on Twitter.
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Another said: “Stormzy’s MNF cameo was surreal.”
“I love that Stormzy is always a natural fan and ain’t too proud to express it,” a third added.
Stormzy on Monday night football in socks & sliders with his hood on what a G even brought on his nephews 😂😂
Monday night football. Continues to be the benchmark in sports broadcasting (outside USA) absolutely top class. Stormzy ended up on it this evening as he was dandering by. Gary Neville is majestic & Roy Keane is literally, footballing royalty- Ronaldo coming up to him. Beautiful
Stormzy’s appearance on Monday Night Football was fresh off the back of him getting up on stage with Coldplay as the band finished up their finished their sell-out six-night residency at Wembley Stadium on Sunday night.
He performed his 2018 hit ‘Blinded by Your Grace Pt. 1’ alongside the band
Formula 1 fans will also know this isn’t the only time Stormzy has given an unsuspecting sporting TV interview in recent weeks either, as he also went viral after being interviewed during Martin Brundle’s grid walk at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone last month too.
Massive rock, paper, scissors tournament with BIG pizza prizes takes over Trafford Centre this week
Emily Sergeant
A thousand free pizzas will be up for grabs to celebrate one of Greater Manchester’s newest restaurant openings this week.
That’s right – award-winning Neapolitan pizzeria Forbici is officially opening at the Trafford Centre.
From 11am until 12:30pm this Wednesday (5 August), Forbici will be giving away up to 1,000 full-sized pizzas, so visitors to the shopping centre will have the chance to taste what has recently been declared one of the best pizzas in the world without needing to spend a penny.
Following the opening of its first site on Cross Street in the city centre last year, before expanding over to Sheffield, this new 7,000-capacity Trafford Centre space at The Orient will be Forbici’s third restaurant in the UK and the second in Greater Manchester.
Crafted with signature three-generation ‘biga dough’, slow fermented to create a light, airy crust, alongside carefully sourced Italian ingredients, it’s no secret that Forbici offers some of the finest pizza in town.
Forbici is opening at the Trafford Centre this week / Credit: The Manc Group
And staying true to its name, every pizza is cut with scissors before being served.
The celebrations will then continue on Friday (August) as Forbici’s newest restaurant transforms into the home of Europe’s biggest Rock, Paper, Scissors tournament hosted by Manchester’s viral foodie content creator, Zack Hipps.
Across four sessions, you’ll have the chance to test your luck, speed, and strategy in a bid to be crowned champion – with tournaments taking place every hour from 11:30am.
Inspired by the pizzeria’s name, Forbici – which is, of course, the Italian word for ‘scissors’ – competitors will go head-to-head in fast paced knockout battles throughout the afternoon, with prizes up for grabs at every session and the winner of each game getting to take home a year’s supply of Forbici pizza.
There’ll also be a couple of exclusive local-themed pizza specials to celebrate the new opening too, including Forbici’s indulgent Manchester Tart pizza, and the Lancashire Hotpot pizza, which combines Fior di Latte, slow-cooked Lamb Ragù, and cracked black pepper on Forbici’s signature Biga base.
The Manchester special pizzas are also available at Forbici’s city centre restaurant as well, so you can feast wherever you find yourself.
Toni Dennan at Forbici said: “We’re incredibly excited to bring our innovative pizza craft to the Trafford Centre. To celebrate, we’re giving away 1,000 pizzas, inviting guests to experience Forbici on us.”
“Forbici is all about pushing pizza craft to new heights,” commented Forbici’s Toni Dennan. “Opening at Trafford Centre gives us the opportunity to share our passion for proper pizza with even more people.”
Simon Layton, who is the Centre Director at Trafford Centre, added: “We’re delighted to welcome Forbici to Trafford Centre, offering an innovative pizza concept to shoppers and leisure seekers alike. With a huge giveaway and exciting Rock, Paper Scissors tournament, Forbici’s opening week is not one to be missed and we look forward to welcoming customers down to the centre to celebrate its arrival.”
Forbici Trafford Centre is opening this Wednesday 5 August, and bookings are now live online here.
Featured Image – The Manc Group
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Why so many are excited by the Irish teenager being monitored by Man City, United and more
Danny Jones
The next generation of Irish football is looking brighter, and there’s one particular young striker currently playing in the Republic of Ireland’s Premier Men’s Division that’s reportedly attracting interest from the likes of Manchester City, Man United, Chelsea and more.
Still just a teenager and having barely just broken into senior football, Michael Noonan is the youth player presently starring for Shamrock Rovers FC at just 18 years old.
Anyone who followed their recent run in the UEFA Conference League last year will know the kind of box office moments he’s already supplied fans of the South Dublin side, but he’s still a relatively new and somewhat unknown quantity to most, and one that’s already on the radar of some big clubs.
But just to put things into perspective, Irish football journalist Darryl Geraghty has gone so far as to dub him as “probably the hottest prospect in Irish football right now.” Here are just some of the reasons why…
Speaking to Betway (who have ironically just been announced as United’s new principal partner and official sponsor for their training gear), the sports writer said the increasing number of suitors floating in and around the youngster at such a crucial stage in his career comes as no surprise.
Turning 18 last month, the former St Patrick’s Athletic academy graduate is now free to entertain deals from other suitors, with the likes of Arsenal, Everton, Nottingham Forest, Ajax and ‘several’ others claimed to be circling his signature; Noonan is already said to have visited the Dutch giants for talks.
“A who’s who of European football are vying for his signature and it’s easy to see why”, says Geraghty. “Natural goalscorers are incredibly difficult to find, and Michael has that instinctive ability that elite clubs are always searching for.
“He doesn’t need five chances to score one goal. He has that natural striker’s knack of arriving in the right place at the right time, while his movement and pace off the shoulder constantly ask questions of defenders.”
“What’s impressed me most is how much his all-round game has developed. He’s become more involved in build-up play and is learning how to affect games even when he’s not scoring, which is essential for modern forwards.”
He also reiterated to Betway that “perhaps the most impressive thing is how unfazed he seems by the attention and expectation around him”, adding that “talent gets you noticed, but mentality is what convinces clubs to invest in a young player.”
Having helped ‘The Hoops’ to lift another title and a domestic cup, as well as growing an even wider experience base by representing his country in the national team’s youth ranks – most recently at the highly competitive under-21s level – this year could be a big turning point in his career.
Naturally, comparisons to the likes of Robbie Keane have already been drummed up, especially given how much talent he’s already shown at such an early age.
It’s “not because they’re identical players”, clarifies, “but because of the intelligence of his movement, his instinct for goals and his ability to fit into almost any attacking system.”
You only have to see some of his highlights for the resurgent Rovers to see his neat footwork in tight spaces and ability to drive into the right areas with conviction.
According to Geraghty, it’s merely “a matter of when rather than if“, and whoever snaps him up (more likely in the January window, it has been suggested) will be signing “one of the most exciting young strikers Ireland has produced in years.”
You can see his thrilling European debut performances against Norwegian side Molde FK down below.
At only 16, he became the youngest scorer in the competition’s history.
Emily Sergeant -
23rd August 2022 
