HE’S conquered the charts with two number one albums, is Brit nominated and has performed at Glastonbury, but now Tom Grennan has his sights set on footballing glory.
The Bedford-born singer will slip on an England shirt this weekend as he competes in this year’s Soccer Aid for UNICEF.
And Tom, 28, is so determined to help England end their five year losing streak against the World XI team he’s been hitting the gym in preparation.
Speaking exclusively to The Sun ahead of the celebrity football match at Chelsea’s Stanford Bridge, he said: “Fitness wise, I feel athletic in my mind and athletic in my body!
“I feel like prime Ronaldo moving to Real Madrid!
“I haven’t done any football training yet but I’m probably the fittest I’ve ever been. I just did the London Marathon and I’ve signed up for an Ironman in October.”
Tom’s no novice when it comes to the football pitch, in his early teens he played for Luton Town as part of their youth academy before his music career took off.
So it’ll come as no surprise that he’s a competitor on the pitch, earning man of the match in the last two Soccer Aid games.
And when he takes to the pitch on Sunday, he’s determined to take the title again.
“Oh yeah, I probably will be going for a hat trick!” he said. “I’ve always loved playing football so to have this experience, it’s one of the best weeks of the year.
“I’m hoping we win, of course. Frank Lampard is managing us. I’ve definitely heard through the grapevine that he’s going to whip us into shape early doors!
“We’ve got some amazing players playing and we have Jill Scott who’s an unbelievable captain.”
Tom’s hoping the medal winning Lioness proves to be a good luck charm, not least because he reckons if England can triumph at the weekend it’ll be a good omen when the Euros kick off later this month.
He added: “I hope we bring it home because if we bring it home that means that hopefully, fingers crossed, England will be bringing it home in the Euros as well.
“That’s what I’m hoping, we can be their good luck charm!”
Tom’s become a big part of the charity event. Not only has he played for England three times, last year, as well as playing the full 90 minutes, he also performed the half time show.
While he admits that was an honour, it’s nothing compared to what UNCIEF asked him to do this year.
Early this year, he flew to Cambodia to see first-hand the work the charity does on the ground.
Tom said: “Being asked to actually go to Cambodia and see where the money that is raised goes and who it goes to has completely shifted my whole view on what Soccer Aid is about.
“Of course you know you’re helping to raise money, but it’s a football game, you’re surrounded by your heroes.
“For me it was just like, ‘Oh my God, I can’t believe I’m here and I can’t believe I’m sat next to the likes of Wayne Rooney’.
“And then you get asked to go on a trip and see where the money goes, and you meet these kids and you see where they live and it hits home.
“You just go, ‘oh my God. It’s not a game of football’.
“We are raising money for these kids to have a chance in life, for these kids to have a playground, or these kids to have, I don’t know, a life.”
The singer visited the capital, Phnom Penh, where UNICEF is working with local partners to protect vulnerable children and their families who have come to the city with hope of a better life.
Many children are living in poor and dangerous urban slum environments and are at risk of abuse and exploitation as they are forced to work to earn money to support their families instead of going to school.
Tom visited a railway community in the city, where he met 14-year-old Theara and his grandma, Sokly.
They live right next to the railway in a small house that they built themselves with Theara’s four younger brothers and sisters.
The area is home to 600 kids and many use the railway line as their playground.
Tom said: “We were invited into Theara’s home, there’s six people living in this tiny house.
“When I say a house, it is a hut and it’s right next to the railway with trains going through without stopping.
“We were playing basketball and these kids are running around with no shoes.
“My mum would always tell me one thing, ‘never ever play around a railway’. I remember my mum saying that to me as a kid.
“And then I get to Cambodia and I see kids barefoot running over railway tracks. It blew my mind.
“I want to shout over to them, ‘don’t run on the tracks’, but then it’s their home, it’s all they know.
“I heard so many stories about people who’d died on the tracks, it’s heartbreaking.
“But UNICEF have these places where the kids can go and be safe. They go to school and learn and they are helping to pull them out of these circumstances.
“It was so overwhelming just to see how they live and what goes on there.”
Their lives are a far cry from the showbiz circles Tom, who married girlfriend Daniella last month, mixes in back home.
So how did the trip impact him?
“I did get emotional, there was one moment on camera, oh my God, talking about it, I’m getting really emotional.
“We went to farmland to see the pumps UNICEF have put in to help them get clean water.
“But then we visited a family who don’t yet have access to clean water, they have to go to this pond.
“They bring it back to their house, boil it as best they can but they know it’s still infected with all sorts. It’s just not good for the kids or anyone to be drinking.
“You know what messes with my head? That we’re still talking about people accessing clean water. It’s 2024. Do you know what I mean?
“It’s absolutely mental.”
Tom admits the trip has been life-changing, not least for his own mental health.
He added: “I’m a big worrier anyway, and I have come back and if I’m worrying about the smallest thing, whether it’s to do with music or just in life, I always go back to Thera and I always go back to his little smile.
“It’s hard when you come back from a trip like that, you get back to normal life again and for me it took me a few weeks to adjust.
“I was just like, ‘no, I’m not not ready for this right now’. it’s a hard thing to get your head around, honestly. It just puts things into perspective.
“People don’t understand what’s going on but that’s what we are trying to do.
“We’re trying to help people understand and tell them what is going on so they can donate and help these kids.
“Soccer Aid isn’t a game of football to me anymore. Obviously it’s amazing to do, but I’m just going to be looking at how much we raise.
“I’ll be waiting for that figure to come up on the big screen. I can’t wait to play the football game, but having seen what I’ve seen, I care more about where the money is going, you know?”
The annual event, which was created by pop star Robbie Williams in 2006, has raised over £90million for UNICEF.
This year the team are hell bent on smashing the £100million mark.
Tom will join a host of famous faces on the pitch, including former professional footballers Jermain Defoe, Jack Wilshere, and Theo Walcott.
And stars like EastEnder Bobby Brazier, king of the jungle Sam Thompson and boxer Tommy Fury will also compete.
So how will the gang celebrate if they manage to smash their £100million target?
Tom said: “Probably with a good karaoke session! I’ll be leading that!
“A lot of the footballers love a bit of karaoke and having a sing song. I think everybody’s got a good voice anyway.
“I’m like, if you can belt out a little tune and you’ve got the confidence to back yourself, go for it.
“My karaoke song? Mysterious Girl by Peter Andre! Love it! Me and my friend usually do it together, to be fair, but obviously he won’t be there so I have to back myself and do it on my own.
“It’s a crowd pleaser, no? Everyone loves it!”
Soccer Aid for UNICEF is on Sunday 9 June at Stamford Bridge and will be broadcast live and exclusively on ITV1, STV and ITVX. To donate ahead of the match, visit socceraid.org.uk/donate
