Bob Marley, Soccer Player : Football is Freedom
“Football is a whole skill to itself. A whole world. A whole universe to itself. Me love it because you have to be skilful to play it! Freedom! Football is freedom.” (Bob Marley- 1979)”
Many people are surprised to hear Bob Marley was a fanatic soccer player and fan.That doesn’t seem to fit their image of world’s most legendary reggae star : the marihuana smoking, the lazy reggae beats, the dreadlock rastafari easy going attitude, the political activism, …
Bob Marley simply loved kicking a ball. About every single day when on tour or in the recording studio. He also loved watching soccer on tv. His favourite team was Santos Futebol Clube ( Brazil ). His favourite player was Edson Arantes do Nascimento, world famous as Pele, who began playing for Santos at age 15.
On a trip to Brazil ( Rio de Janeiro, 1970 ) Bob Marley joined in on a heated street soccer game with some fellow musicians, people from record label Ariola, Brazilian street kids and Paulo Cesar, member of the 1970 Brazilian World Cup team. Before the game the Brazilians had given him a number 10 Santos shirt ( Pele’s number). Bob Marley had smiled, and, while putting it on, was heard saying that, just like Pele, he too could play in all positions.
Many of his friends claimed that if Marley hadn’t been so dedicated to his music, he could have made it big as a professional soccer player. As a midfielder, Marley was quick and innovative.
“I love music before I love football. If I love football first, maybe that a bit dangerous, because the football very violent. If a man tackle you hard, it brings feelings o’ war!”
Many fans of Marley trace his ultimate death from cancer as a result of an injury he sustained during a soccer game in 1977 at a game in Battersea Park in Great Britain. Danny Baker, a renowned English soccer radio and television announcer at the time, allegedly stepped on Marley’s foot during a game, snapping his big toenail off. Marley later developed a condition akin to gangrene on the injured toe, but refused to have is foot amputated as doctors recommended, saying, “Rasta no abide amputation.”
Bob Marley was buried with his guitar ( Gibson Les Paul ), a bud of marihuana, a bible, a ring and a soccer ball.
These are clips with images of Bob Marley playing soccer :
This is a collection of pictures of Bob Marley playing soccer, on various occasions during the seventies :
July 22nd, 2007 at 7:36 pm
Solo Bueno el Bob
September 6th, 2007 at 4:08 am
long live reggea. BLESS BOB MARLEY
September 8th, 2007 at 1:30 pm
long live the regae legend bob marley!futbol pro and soul survivin
September 13th, 2007 at 4:37 pm
bob marley. the man the myth the legend.
everything’s gonna be alright
September 23rd, 2007 at 9:26 pm
so nice marley photos
October 9th, 2007 at 12:09 pm
สวัสดี สุดยอดเลยครับ ภาพ BoB Marley อัลบัมนี้ไม่เคยเห็นเลยครับ
October 15th, 2007 at 11:34 pm
Bob Marley and The Waillers music,,,,…will be around for many generations 2 come!!!
DA PASSION FOR FOOT BALL, I THINK IS IN our blood when you love football(soccer).., you share a bond with the ball, when its time 2 play there are no worries in life at that moment…..
October 16th, 2007 at 8:37 am
Very nice!!!!!
Look my website to bob..
equalityandjustice.fr
Inside many photo and others
November 8th, 2007 at 6:52 pm
lol futbul Y musica de regge!??! que un bestio!!
November 23rd, 2007 at 1:44 pm
Bob is great at Futbol! Long live Bob Marley and his music
RasTafari is the way…
December 31st, 2007 at 9:26 am
I love bob marley ,I sow vere nais picters, plese forware bob marley picters ,life story ,lyaerik so Thank you verey mach.
January 7th, 2008 at 5:44 pm
i would play soccer with bob
January 14th, 2008 at 6:43 am
Great photo many thanks…..
My website to bob marley at http://www.equalityandjustice.fr inside many many unseen photo, press articles, video, live music……
January 18th, 2008 at 9:43 pm
grande bob, muy grande¡ futbol,reggae y vida hermano pura vida¡ de venezuela al mas grande del reggae, jah rastafari
February 8th, 2008 at 3:27 am
What a revelation seeing these pictures is. We both share a love of music and football…nothing better in life.
February 13th, 2008 at 2:12 pm
You burnout hippys. Fuck Bob Marley! Lazy pot smoking rejects…
February 19th, 2008 at 5:04 pm
i think bob marley was a freaking SWEET soccer player and an awesome musician. if you think he was lazy, then you dont kow him at all.
March 20th, 2008 at 12:39 am
What tottenham player did he like?
March 22nd, 2008 at 9:03 pm
soccer to him was freedom, music was peace…i feel the same way…as long as we value peace and freedom with such purity and passion as bob did, his legacy will live on
April 6th, 2008 at 7:29 pm
this website made my day!!.love it.
April 22nd, 2008 at 12:59 am
Such information be world wide.
As soccer, as music, as the legend.
May 2nd, 2008 at 4:18 pm
hello
it is 20 years i’m looking for bob marley with dominique rocheteau and robert herbin soccer playing pictures
could tou help me to refind them ?
best regards
jef
June 8th, 2008 at 7:52 am
[…] so viel fuball gespielt, wie er musik gemacht hat. der war gar nicht vom ball zu trennen! Eiri! music and sports Bob Marley, Soccer Player : Football is Freedom // __________________ __________"Der rechte Fuball denkt an Gewinnmaximierung, der linke […]
June 8th, 2008 at 8:47 am
Bob Marley! One of the greatest! Thank you for your Music!
And thank you for the webiside!
best wishes
Holgy
June 17th, 2008 at 4:51 pm
aguante bob ! lo mejor ! sigue vivo en el corazon de todoo ! i a la pelota la movia ehh !
July 1st, 2008 at 1:20 pm
živio bob maarley!!!!=)long live bob marley…
his music go on forever…
peace man
elena from croatia
Rab…=)