Throwback to the Time When the 2018 Soccer Anthem Featuring Will Smith Left the World Divided

Published 02/17/2023, 8:30 AM EST

via Imago

The year 2022 ended on a cheerful note for soccer fans all over the world, as they witnessed one of the greatest matches in the game’s history. It also brought back a lot of old memories from the past years. One such memory was the football anthem from the year 2018, which featured Will Smith as a rapper. Reggaeton artist Nicky Jam created the song, and it also featured Albanian singer Era Istrefi.

However, as soon as it was released, the song and the artist involved had the entire world debating over them. It all started with the fact that Russia conducted the 2018 FIFA World Cup, but the song had no involvement with the country’s culture or its artists.

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The song was released on May 25, 2018, and was a breakneck dance tune. As per Reuters, what upset fans the most was that the song had a huge Latin American vibe that did not match the host country. Moreover, people compared it with the 2010 World Cup and the anthem of that year, ‘Waka Waka.’

The masterpiece that featured Shakira is considered the greatest football song of all time. Furthermore, it perfectly matched the vibe of the country hosting the World Cup that year, South Africa. It concluded with the fact that the World Cup is not just an event; it is so much more than that, and that is why who stars in the songs matters too. Let’s have a look at some celebrities who have starred in soccer anthems over the years.

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Alike Will Smith, which celebrities have featured in the World Cup songs?

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Over the years, many celebrities from all over the world have participated in these songs. Apart from Smith and Shakira, we’ve had Ricky Martin, Jason Derulo, and Plácido Domingo in the past few years. Notably, World Cup 2022 featured a total of five songs in about five different languages. Apparently, it is diversity that brings people together.

Instead of just one track, the 2022 FIFA brought fans a multi-track. The 5 songs were: Hayya Hayya (Better Together) by Cardona, Davido, and Aisha, Arhbo by Ozuna featuring Gims, Light the Sky by Rahma, Balqees, Nora, and Manal, The World Is Yours to Take by Lil Baby x Tears for Fears, Tukoh Taka by Nicki Minaj, Maluma and Myriam Fares.

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What are your thoughts about the song featuring Will Smith? Tell us in the comments.

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Radhika Deshmukh

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Radhika Deshmukh is a Hollywood and Netflix News writer at Netflix Junkie. As a passionate film and theater enthusiast, Radhika found her calling in entertainment reporting. Her love for cinema and television motivated her to intern as a news writer at Dainik Bhaskar, where she honed her skills in factual reporting.

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