\n<\/p>\n
\n\tThe World Cup<\/a> is in full swing, with just a few more matches left before the quarterfinals. There have been plenty of feel-good stories and twists and upsets \u2013 Cape Verde\u2019s Cinderella story, Norway\u2019s stunning victory over Brazil, all the controversy over Trump\u2019s involvement<\/a> in Folarin Balogun\u2019s contentious red card. But in addition to all these crazy moments and plots, what the World Cup<\/a> does every four years is put a bright spotlight on the best soccer players in the world.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tA lot of these athletes have had unexpected trajectories and remarkable biographies \u2014\u00a0even a surprising side hobby or two.\u00a0This includes players who have hidden musical talents, or who have made careers moonlighting as singers, rappers, and musicians.<\/p>\n \n\tOf course,\u00a0the connection between soccer and music isn\u2019t new. We all know some of the biggest soccer anthems <\/a>are also some of the most memorable global chart-topping hits (from Ricky Martin\u2019s \u201cCup of Life\u201d to Shakira\u2019s \u201cWaka Waka.\u201d) Brazilian legend Pele was famously a singer-songwriter who composed in his spare time and released songs up until he was 80. Former Croatian defender Slaven Bili\u0107, who played in the 1998 World Cup, also performed in the heavy metal band Rawbau. And John Barnes, known for making history as the first Black player to represent England in a World Cup match in 1986, was a rapper and even made a few guest appearances on official team anthems, including New Order\u2019s \u201cWorld in Motion\u201d from the 1990 FIFA campaign.<\/p>\n \n\tHere are some of the players from the 2026 roster who are keeping the connection between soccer and music alive with their own careers and side hobbies as artists.<\/p>\n \n\tThe Portuguese attacker has been playing soccer since he was a kid and joined the French club Lille before signing a five-year deal with AC Milan. On the Portuguese national team, he\u2019s been a reliable forward, but in between high-profile matches, he\u2019s followed his music dreams as Way 45, rapping and singing through a blend of R&B, hip hop, and stripped-back trap beats. \u201cThere was always music in my house growing up,\u201d he told Rolling Stone U.K.<\/em> <\/a>back in 2023. \u201cMy uncle was a DJ and my father used to sing too. Like everything around me was about music, so it really just came from there. It was always hip-hop I\u2019d listen to, and I could relate to the message they\u2019d put across about growing up in the hood.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t\tRafael Le\u00e3o<\/strong>, Portugal\t<\/h2>\n