Shakira: I can’t get away from football!

Shakira: I can’t get away from football!

(FIFA.com) Monday 5 March 2012

Print

Email my friend

Share

If you were to carry out a poll of the most famous faces in the world today, there can be little doubt that Colombian singer Shakira would feature near the very top of the list. A veritable pop music phenomenon, able to perform in both English and Spanish, she has enjoyed success on every continent and has a fan base that runs into the millions.
What is more, the artist has now become inextricably linked the beautiful game. In addition to performing at the 2006 and 2010 FIFA World Cups™, she has been involved in a host of football-related social welfare projects and her current partner is Spain and Barcelona centre-back Gerard Pique. Speaking on all these subjects and more, Shakira gave an exclusive interview to FIFA.com.
FIFA.com: Shakira, how did you first start getting involved in football?
Shakira: In 2006 I was asked to sing at the World Cup in Germany, and in 2010 I was fortunate enough to be asked again. There I had one of the most unforgettable times of my life: the World Cup in South Africa gave me so much on both a personal and professional level. That was how I started to really get involved in football after realising, through those World Cups, the importance and impact this sport has on the lives of billions of people every day, on the dreams of the young people and children who devote so many hours of their lives to playing the game, and the passion it stirs in so many people across the entire globe.
What has had the biggest impact on you during this period?
The level of cultural exchange that happens via events like the World Cup, where people share so much, are brought closer together and become more united. All of this is a social phenomenon which really interests me, while I was also pleasantly surprised by the social work carried out by FIFA through its One Goal campaign, which I was able to be a part of. As a result, this all came together to make the experience even richer for me, because working from that basis we were able to promote the issue of education, which is one of my biggest interests. And now of course football’s a central issue for me at home (laughs). I get the impression that football follows me everywhere and I can’t get away from it!