Liam Payne’s connection to Adrian Chiles and Robbie Keane was explained after they made an unlikely appearance at his funeral on Wednesday.
The singer was buried in a private service attended by his family and friends, including members of his band One Direction and the mother of his son, Cheryl.
But fans will no doubt have been asking some of those attending the service after enjoying less publicized friendships during their career.
The link connecting all three names is football, due to Liam and Adrian’s shared love of West Bromwich Albion and Liam and Robbie’s joint appearance at Soccer Aid.
Adrian met Liam during his time on the X Factor, where Liam’s band One Direction formed before achieving stratospheric stardom.
After Liam’s death, Adrian spoke about his love for West Brom and how that was how they first connected when he was a teenager.
Liam Payne’s connection to Adrian Chiles (pictured) and Robbie Keane was explained after they made unlikely appearances at his funeral on Wednesday.
The link connecting all three names is football, due to Liam and Adrian’s shared love of West Bromwich Albion and Liam and Robbie’s joint appearance at Soccer Aid.
Liam watching West Bromwich Albion in 2011, a year after X Factor
She told the BBC: “I met him when he first did X Factor.” He came up to me and said “at the Albion” – he was a West Brom fan.
“Just as a sign of how huge he was, I remember we snuck him into a Boxing Day game and I think his mum and dad came and sat with me.
But we managed to hide our man in the comments porch so he wouldn’t get upset. Then a friend of mine texted me asking ‘why are West Brom trending number one on Twitter?’
“I said, ‘Well, it could be because Liam Payne is here and he tweeted that he was here and the whole world went crazy about it!’”
In a special tribute to Liam, Adrian arrived to pay his respects wearing a West Bromwich Albion coat.
During his appearance at Soccer Aid 2022, Wolverhampton-born Liam proudly declared himself a “big West Brom fan”.
He said: “Although I don’t go to games as often as I would like.”
The singer was buried in a private service attended by his family and friends, including members of his band One Direction and the mother of his son, Cheryl.
The link connecting all three names is football, due to Liam and Adrian’s shared love of West Bromwich Albion and Liam and Robbie’s joint appearance at Soccer Aid (pictured at Soccer Aid 2022).
After his death, the Championship club paid tribute to Payne, who was also reportedly a season ticket holder, like Chiles.
“We are shocked and saddened to hear of the passing of Baggies fan and musician Liam Payne,” West Brom wrote after the singer’s tragic death. “Our thoughts are with Liam’s family, friends and loved ones at this tragic time.”
Meanwhile, Liam and Robbie took part in the Soccer Aid 2023 match. Liam played for England while Robbie coached the rest of the world.
Robbie has played in several Soccer Aid matches and has scored several goals, including a brace in the 2023 match against England.
Keane scored twice in the World XI’s 5-0 victory over England, including a fine finish from the inside of the post and a strike in the middle of a goal fight.
