Bob Marley’s Love for the Beautiful Game

Bob Marley once told a journalist: ‘’If you want to get to know me, you will have to play football against me and the Wailers.’’ This allowed Marley to get in his comfort zone, resulting in a more free and casual connection. Whenever the reggae legend got the chance, he would play — whether it was between studio sessions, before he went on stage or when he was playing in the park with his friends.

The way Bob Marley saw it, playing football and making music was a healthy balance. In a 1980 interview, he explained the difference between the two. ‘’I love music before I love football. If I love football first [it] maybe can be dangerous. I love music and then football after. Playing football and singing is dangerous because the football get very violent. I sing about peace, love and all of that stuff, and something might happen y’know. If a man tackle you hard it bring feelings of war.”

Many considered Marley’s game to be on a high level. “Trying to get the ball off him … was just hopeless. Because Bob was the person he was, the ball always came to him. He was the midfield general, if you like, and they called him skipper,’’ record executive Trevor Wyatt recalled.

When Bob Marley passed away, he was buried with the possessions that had the most meaning and value to him in his life. His red Gibson guitar, a bud of marijuana, a Bible and a football. It was all there: religion, music and football, Bob Marley’s vital components. Separate yet all intricately linked.