Robbie Williams divided north London on Friday night by trolling Arsenal fans with a pro-Tottenham joke while performing at the Emirates Stadium.
Former Take That band member Williams — who is now better known as a solo artist — supports Port Vale, having grown up in Stoke-on-Trent.
But the 51-year-old also has a soft spot for Spurs.
He showed this back in 2023 after James Black, a lifelong Spurs supporter who performs live music on matchdays at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, reworked the chorus of Robbie’s 1997 mega-hit ‘Angels’ to create an ode to Ange Postecoglou.
It went viral on social media and caught the attention of Robbie himself, who joined Black to record a special version, which the popstar shared via Instagram.
During that video, after singing ‘I’m Loving Big Ange Instead’, Williams quipped: ‘I guess I’m a Spurs fan now then.’
Robbie Williams performed live at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium in north London on Friday night
In 2023, Williams recorded ‘I’m Loving Big Ange Instead’ with Spurs fan James Black (left)
In response to this, Tottenham sent Williams and his wife Ayda personalised Spurs shirts with their names on the back.
Postecoglou famously went on to win the UEFA Europa League in his penultimate game as Tottenham manager last month.
Despite ending Tottenham’s 17-year wait for a trophy and sealing a spot in next season’s Champions League in the process, the Australian was sacked on Friday.
His dismissal was largely due to Tottenham’s dreadful domestic form, which resulted in their lowest Premier League finish ever.
But although Spurs finished 17th — just one place above the relegation zone — many people have claimed that they actually enjoyed a more successful season than fierce rivals Arsenal, who came second in the Premier League after losing to Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-finals of the Champions League.
Spurs have now won four major UEFA men’s titles in their 142-year history — three more than the Gunners, who lifted the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1994.
Williams cheekily referenced this at the home of Arsenal on Friday.
He began the set-up to his joke by asking fans in the crowd to cheer if they supported Arsenal. He then encouraged those who did not support the Gunners to boo.
After the Postecoglou song went viral, Spurs sent Williams a shirt with his name on the back
Spurs captain Son Heung-min pictured holding the UEFA Europa League trophy last month
Next, Williams asked the crowd a question: ‘How far away are Arsenal from a European trophy?’
He gleefully answered that question himself by declaring: ‘Four f****** miles!’ — the approximate distance between the Emirates and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Williams was quick to gesture that he was only kidding, urging any Arsenal supporters not to take his joke to heart.
But many Gunners fans hit back via social media, where they were keen to point out that Arsenal were the current holders of the UEFA Women’s Champions League.
