One of the most recognizable songs in stadiums worldwide, “Freed From Desire”, did not originate as a sports anthem. However, Gala’s song found a second life and a special place in football culture thanks to Northern Ireland and a modest English team.
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In 2016, Wigan Athletic was fighting to get out of League One, the third tier of English football, where they had fallen after a brief but successful stint in the Premier League that included a historic FA Cup title. Hope returned with Will Grigg, a Northern Irish striker who scored 25 goals in that season and helped secure promotion to the Championship.
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Inspired by Grigg’s performance, a Wigan fan named Sean Kennedy created a simple video that would soon go viral. He uploaded it to YouTube with the music of “Freed From Desire” and sang “Will Grigg’s on fire, your defence is terrified,” quickly becoming popular among fans of the Manchester metropolitan area team and in Northern Ireland.
From Wigan to the world thanks to Euro 2016
The timing could not have been more perfect: in the midst of the fervor of Euro 2016, Grigg was called up by the Northern Ireland national team, which for the first time had managed to qualify for the European continental tournament. His name and chant became an essential part of the festive atmosphere among the Northern Irish, in the stadiums and on the streets, and fans from other countries adapted the melody with names of their own players.
Fun fact: Will Grigg did not play a single minute in that Euro 2016, where Northern Ireland was eliminated in the round of 16 by Wales. Currently 33 years old, the center forward is still active at Chesterfield in the English fourth division.
Over the years, “Freed From Desire” has become one of the most sung melodies in the stands.
The impact was so profound that Gala’s own song experienced a resurgence and returned to top music charts.
FIFA Club World Cup Anthem
In 2021, Grigg himself spoke about this phenomenon in an interview with the Belfast Telegraph: “I clearly remember that during the warm-up before the third group stage match against Germany, ‘Will Grigg’s On Fire’ played in the stadium, the lyrics appeared on both screens, and both sets of fans sang it. It was a very special feeling for a League One player like me”.
However, the center forward also expressed some frustration, as “it bothered me that some people only associated me with the song and not with my goals. The song doesn’t exist because my name fits well in the melody, but because I scored 25 goals for Wigan. Everyone in England and Northern Ireland knew it, but not in the Euro.”
At the end of last year, FIFA announced that “Freed From Desire” was chosen as the official song of the Club World Cup, the first one with a 32-team format, and it is heard in all stadiums and in worldwide broadcasts.