In an unexpected collaboration, Taylor Swift‘s music is being used in emotional edits of Lionel Messi‘s career highlights, which are flooding TikTok following Argentina’s victory at the recent World Cup.
Many non-football fans are being served up Messi/Swift mash-up content despite having no interest in football. These videos use the same sound, often starting with Taylor’s lyric “From sprinkler splashes to fireplace ashes, I gave my blood, sweat, and tears for this.” These edits have struck a chord with existing football fans, as Taylor’s songs are a natural choice to soundtrack a moment of intense emotional reflection. Despite the nature of their fandoms appearing to be at odds with one another, Swifties and football fans are both suckers for stirring symbolism and sentimentality during the big moments. This crossover between Taylor Swift‘s music and football may make more sense than it first appears, as both involve a journey, highs, and lows, and intense emotion.