After Jude Bellingham-Alejandro Balde Debacle, Taylor Swift Fever Claims Another Sporting Royalty

Sebastian Vettel once said: “Everyone is a Ferrari fan. Even if they say they’re not, they are Ferrari fans.” To rephrase this from the perspective of a die-hard Taylor Swift fan, “Everyone is a Taylor Swift fan. Even if they say they’re not, they are Taylor Swift fans.” Writing about Taylor Swift fans—more popularly known as Swifties—they’re like a cult. If anyone were to say anything against the American pop star, they’d instantly become the Kanye West to the Swifties’ Taylor Swift. Simply put, they’re going to have ‘bad blood.’ 

Wondering just how far Swifties could actually go to uphold Swift’s honor? Just ask FC Barcelona star Alejandro Balde. If they can cause seismic waves—an actual 2.3 magnitude earthquake in Seattle during the Eras Tour—ruining the chances of a soccer young gun is a piece of cake for them because that’s precisely what they did.

Miss Americana exiled Balde from contention and “Enchanté(d)” Daniel Ricciardo

A couple of days ago, the Italian newspaper Tuttosport released its list of nominees for the 2023 Golden Boy Award. It’s an annual award that crowns Europe’s best young male footballer. 20-year-old Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham and 19-year-old Barcelona left-back Alejandro Balde are two of the frontrunners for the title. But after an old statement by Balde came to light, Bellingham has overtaken the Spaniard in the fight.

As reported by goal.com, “An old tweet quoting [Balde] was made viral by Swifties, in which he said: “Do I like Taylor Swift? No, I don’t like her music.” Swifties were unhappy with Balde’s statement and decided to vote in numbers in favor of Bellingham for the 2023 Golden Boy. By midnight on Wednesday, the English midfielder’s vote count reportedly rose from 30% to 89%.” Needless to say, no one would want to be in the bad books of Swifties. One person who definitely isn’t is AlphaTauri driver Daniel Ricciardo.

The Honey Badger—who started his own fashion line, Enchanté—has joined the Swiftie camp! The Aussie driver, who’s become F1 royalty during his time in the sport, has an affinity for music. And unlike Balde, he does like Swift’s music. In an Instagram post by @theswiftsociety_, Ricciardo is heard saying (singing would be an overstatement) the words to Swift’s “Our Song” from her self-titled first studio album. Considering how classically Taylor Swift the song is, it points to only one thing: Daniel Ricciardo is a certified Swiftie! But he’s not the only driver who’s one.

Read More: After Girlfriend Muni Lily Ditched Him for Taylor Swift’s Concert, Alex Albon Avenges the Betrayal With Thunderous Confession

The Eras Tour made a McLaren star confess his love for Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift is a performer through and through. That just means that even if you’re not a Swiftie (don’t say that in front of a Swiftie), you’re bound to enjoy her light up the stage with her ‘Style.’ So, when she embarked on her sixth concert tour—the Eras Tour: “A journey through the musical eras of [her] career”—people from all around (at least those who could get their hands on the prized tickets) went to witness her magic live. To put into perspective just how monumental the record-breaking tour has been, it added $5 billion to the world economy in June 2023. 

When F1’s summer break started at the end of July, McLaren driver Lando Norris tagged along with DJ Martin Garrix for his concerts. But when he got home and went live on Twitch—given all the hype around Swift’s tour—a fan asked him if he was a Taylor Swift fan. He said, “Am I a Taylor Swift fan? Who isn’t?” Although he didn’t belt out one of her tunes like Ricciardo, playing Swift’s “22” for his teammate Oscar Piastri’s 22nd birthday was proof enough that Norris is a Swiftie.

If only Alejandro Balde knew the repercussions of his comments about Taylor Swift and her music. Wouldn’t he want to go ‘Back to Whenever-he-said-that,’ swallow his pride, and say sorry to Swifties?

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