Where football meets rap: Inside the musical careers of Memphis Depay, Rafael Leao and more

Leao is considered to be among the best wingers in Europe, having racked up 145 goal involvements for AC Milan in 291 appearances, and he also boasts 49 caps for the Portugal national team. But hip-hop is his second love, and he showcased his talents as an emcee for the first time in 2021, releasing a seven-track EP titled 'Beginning' under the alias WAY 45 - named after the 2845 postal code of his hometown, Seixal.

Two years later, Leao dropped his debut studio album 'My Life In Each Verse', an autobiographical project spanning 17 tracks that blends hip-hop with soul and R&B. It was an ambitious effort that gave listeners and insight to his family life and the sacrifices he made as a youngster in Portugal, though his simple wordplay and lack of vocal variation can make it something of a grind to get through in its entirety.

The 2025 release of '12:12' showed a distinct evolution in Leao's flow, with his confidence shining through across all eight tracks of the concise EP. Embracing a more aggressive trap sound, Leao peels back his football star exterior to reflect on his faith and dealing with public scrutiny.

For now, WAY 45 operates as a mid-tier independent streaming artist rather than a commercial powerhouse, but financial gain is secondary for Leao.

"I always wanted to do something in music and I find it really allows me to express myself because I’m shy," he told Rolling Stone in 2023. "I’m a shy person and I don’t always show my emotions and my feelings. But through the music I can do that, and it’s just like another world for me."

Leao will continue to follow his passion for music, despite some harsh advice from ex-Milan team-mate Zlatan Ibrahimovic on the back of his first album release. "He laughed at it and told me to focus on football instead!" Leao revealed. "But the rest [of my friends] have told me to keep going and doing my thing."

Under the name 17, Arsenal academy graduate Alex Iwobi released his debut single 'Don't Shoot' in 2024, which featured current Ipswich Town forward Chuba Akpom and ex-England Under-19 international Medy Elito. The central message of the track was to dissuade youngsters from being drawn into the world of street violence, and an accompanying music video served as an ode to the trio's upbringing in east London.

Iwobi, who is now a key player at Fulham and has 99 appearances for Nigeria under his belt, put out a second single that year titled 'What's Luv', which celebrated his African roots, and then turned his focus towards creating a cohesive body of work. That was finally completed and unveiled to the masses this April, as Iwobi became the first Premier League player to ever release an EP - a nine-track offering titled 'More To Life'.

The EP falls into the bracket of luxury rap, with bravado favoured over meaningful lyrics, but it is also rooted in his Nigerian heritage. Iwobi's delivery is crisp and the production is exceptional, while the appearance of Aston Villa and Belgium midfielder Amadou Onana on the track 'Mine' adds an extra layer of energy and intrigue. Although Iwobi still needs to settle on a clear sonic identity, there are enough positives to suggest that he could have a future on stage, and he is eager for fans to see another side of him.

"Everyone knows Alex Iwobi the footballer, but I feel like it’s time, people see that I have more than just football hobbies, that I like to indulge in a lot of things. And obviously, music is one of them," he said in a recent interview with Native. "I don’t want people thinking I’m distracted with my music because, at the same time, football is my main profession.

"I feel like ever since I had the move to Fulham [in 2023], it’s been the right time. My manager gives me the license to go and express myself outside the football pitch. My friends are giving me that freedom, and my family gives me that freedom. So when a lot of people are giving me that green light, I feel confident just to express myself through music."

"To just play football, that's not for me," Memphis Depay said toHYPEBEAST earlier this year. "My name is bigger than football in what I live, what I do, and what I represent."

Indeed, the Netherlands international has enjoyed an impressive football career, which began at PSV and took him to Manchester United, Lyon, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Corinthians - the latter of whom have just tied him to a new contract - but has managed to boost his profile significantly through his exploits as a rapper.

Depay initially began releasing independent music in 2017, inspired by his family background and travels around the world. He dropped his first studio album in 2020, titled 'Heavy Stepper', which served as both a celebration of his wealth and high fashion, and detailed his upbringing and struggles against adversity. The album relies too heavily on generic rap tropes, and he was forced to clarify that the lyrics "I need money like the Glazers" on the track 'Big Fish' were not intended as a dig at United's majority owners.

He has, however, accumulated millions of views across YouTube and Spotify, and showed growth as an artist on the 2025 collaborative EP 'Favelas'. The project explored Depay's new life in Brazil after joining Corinthians, successfully fusing trap and funk as he fully embraced the local culture.

Depay did stir up controversy this summer after a drawn-out row with Corinthians officials. Before the 32-year-old's renewal was agreed, the club had withdrawn their initial two-year extension offer, and he accused the club of "unacceptable behaviour". Just 24 hours after returning to help the team reach the Copa Libertadores quarter-finals, Depay risked causing another rift by releasing a new music video for the song 'Don't Panic', which shows Corinthians headquarters up in flames.

Supporters are currently protesting against the club's ownership regime amid growing financial chaos, but Depay claimed his video was "filmed months ago", before adding in a social media statement: "I hope its a peaceful protest where people can express what they think calmly. About my music, I insist it's just art."

Despite all of that, there will be plenty more to come from Depay in the rap arena. "I spend so many hours in the studio, put my own money into sessions and music videos, so it’s become serious," Depay, who has cited Tupac, Jay-Z and 50 Cent among his inspirations, added to HYPEBEAST. "I have about three albums worth of unreleased songs. It’s something that I’m excited about."

Kean's footballing journey began at Juventus in 2019, and he has also represented Hellas Verona, Everton and Paris Saint-Germain, but has often been accused of failing to live up to his potential. However, that changed when he joined Fiorentina in the summer of 2024 after an underwhelming second stint at Juve, with the striker managing to reignite his career by scoring 35 goals in his first 78 games for La Viola to earn a recall to the Italy national team.

Finding happiness in Florence also led Kean to take his love of music to the next level. The 26-year-old dropped his debut, 11-track solo rap album in December 2024, titled 'Chosen', adopting the alter-ego KMB. Kean delivers explicit lyrics on the project, swapping between Italian and English, and explores a variety of different themes, from balancing his dual identity as an athlete and artist to the importance of resilience (along with pure braggadocio about his lavish lifestyle).

The project earned Kean plenty of praise for his natural flow and crossover appeal, but there was greater success on the horizon. On March 27, 2025, Kean released a new single called 'BOMBAY', with a video prominently featuring his rap group 19F, which achieved mainstream visibility. BOMBAY made video game history as the first song by a top-flight professional footballer to feature on an EA Sports FC soundtrack, and has pulled in 1.1 million plays on streaming platforms to date.

Asked to explain what drove his decision to become a recording artist, Kean told Vivo Azzurro TV last year: "I wanted to send a message to young people: if you're able to do great things, why don't you? I write at home after training and when I am travelling. It calms me down and makes me happy."

There's no better justification than that, and greatness may be on the agenda if Kean keeps evolving as a rapper in the coming years.

There are a few other football stars who have tried their hand at rap who deserve a mention. Former Real Madrid and Everton winger Royston Drenthe pursued a full-time rap career under the alias Roya2Faces after growing frustrated with football. He released a debut single called 'Paranoia' in 2017, which was an instant viral hit, but he ultimately decided to step away from music a short while later and returned to playing with Sparta Rotterdam.

Elsewhere, former Sunderland forward Asamoah Gyan, best known for his stellar 2010 World Cup with Ghana, enjoyed chart-topping success with his track 'African Girls', which featured late Ghanaian musician Castro. Gyan was also bestowed with the Best Hiplife Single award at the 2010 Ghana Music Awards.

In more recent times, Bayern Munich and Canada full-back Alphonso Davies has made headlines for his musical endeavours, forming a casual rap group called Stugang during the Covid-19 pandemic. He also surprised Bayern fans in February last year by releasing a track called 'Munchen my Throne' to celebrate his contract extension at Allianz Arena.

Former Liverpool and Netherlands forward Ryan Babel went a step further than Davies during lockdown, releasing an eight-track autobiographical hip-hop album titled 'The Autobiography – Chapter 1'. Babel included several disses of team-mates and opened up on his relationship with past managers, including Rafa Benitez and Louis van Gaal.

Noa Lang is another Dutchman to have broken into the hip-hop space, using the pseudonym Noano. The Napoli midfielder has released several singles over the last few years, with January 2025 offering 'Waka' gaining the most traction - generating 4 million plays on YouTube alone.