Lewis Hamilton says his childhood passion for football motivated his interest in joining a bid to take over the English Premier League side Chelsea.
The Mercedes driver said he’s “been a football fan since I was kid” after confirming he is part of the bid headed by businessman Martin Broughton.
“I played football probably from the age of four until I was 17,” said Hamilton. “I was in teams every year, I played in the school team every year through my childhood. I’ve been to numerous games.”
Hamilton even tried to play for his local team at one point. “I remember collecting all the stickers, you’d go down to the store and get those books and you had to trade cards, I remember filling all those up as a kid and trading them for pennies, trading them for sweets with other kids, for the most valuable cards.
“When I was younger I was trying to be the best player I could be and actually play for a team. So I was trying to try out for Stevenage Borough when I was younger, but then I ended up following racing.”
While Hamilton has previously described himself as a fan of Arsenal, he also has a family connection to Chelsea.
“When I was young, around the corner from where I lived, I used to play football with all the kids, a couple of my close friends at the time,” he said. “I really wanted to fit in, I was the only kid of colour there but I [knew] that the kids all supported someone different. One was Tottenham, one was Man U [Manchester United].
“I remember switching between these teams when I was younger and getting home and my sister punching me several times in the arm, and my sister saying ‘you have to support Arsenal!’ So I remember at five or six years old that I then became a supporter of Arsenal.
“But my uncle Terry is a big Blues fan. I’ve been to so many games with him to watch Arsenal and Chelsea play. And ultimately I’m a sporting fan, it’s the biggest sport in the world and Chelsea is one of the biggest clubs in the world…