Cristiano Ronaldo recently celebrated his 40th birthday in Saudi Arabia, but when he turned 35 in 2020, the Portuguese superstar requested a BRIT Awards nominee to play at his party.
At the time, Cristiano Ronaldo was playing for Juventus and in the middle of a profitable goalscoring 2019/20 season in which he bagged 31 goals in 33 Serie A games. Part of that was played behind closed doors, however, with COVID limiting attendances across Europe.
The pandemic also meant that Ronaldo, whose birthday is on February 5, didn't get to celebrate turning 35. Italy was the first nation on the continent to start taking precautions, with Ronaldo also staying vigilant over his health.
Cristiano Ronaldo wanted BRIT Awards nominee to play at his 35th birthday
As a result, James Arthur - who received two nominations at the 2017 BRITS Awards for his single Say You Won't Let Go - didn't get the opportunity to perform in front of the then-Juventus forward.
The Middlesbrough fan (and singer songwriter) has enjoyed other moments with professional footballers, however, with Manchester United players taking a keen interest in particular when asked if anyone of note has been to his shows.
"Rooney might have, and Harry Maguire with his wife, she’s a huge fan," James Arthur tells FourFourTwo." Cristiano Ronaldo asked me to play at his 35th birthday party, which would have been amazing – it was going to be in Italy, when he was at Juventus. Then COVID happened. I was pretty gutted.
"I played at Wojciech Szczesny’s wedding, and a Manchester United Christmas party. I had a singalong with Ryan Giggs, Rooney, all of that team – Rooney was in the front row, singing his heart out!"
Arthur - who has a new album, ‘Pisces’, out now - has also played with a number of ex-professionals, with charity games and an appearance at the 2021 Soccer Aid all pitting him alongside some of his heroes.
"For a couple of years I played with an outfit called Sellebrity Soccer, going round all of the different grounds across the country," Arthur says. "Pulling on an England shirt and playing at Soccer Aid was great, then I played a game at Stamford Bridge for Ukraine, alongside Gianfranco Zola, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Claude Makelele, Michael Essien and Andriy Shevchenko – mega names.
"I’ve shared a pitch with Wayne Rooney, he gave me his boots. I’ve had Paul Scholes pass me the ball and had a shot!
"If you’d told me all this would happen when I was a kid, I’d have probably burst into tears – I’ve always been so much more impressed by footballers than musicians. I know the trick with music, but to get to that level in football, I have huge admiration."
