Whenever there’s a football tournament, be it the World Cup, the Copa America or the European Championship, one thing you can be sure of is catching glimpses of superstars in the stands. The celeb can be from a different sport, a singer, a movie star or even a face from the TV or streaming platforms.
Well, we certainly had a face from the last category, and it was none other than Richard Gadd. Yes, the same Gadd from the acclaimed Netflix series ‘Baby Reindeer’. During Wednesday night’s Euro 24 match between Scotland and Switzerland, the 35-year-old actor was spotted in the stands.
Dan Ndoye’s rattled the post in the 59th minute of the game and as the camera panned to the crowd, Gadd’s figure was there to see. The Wormit-born comedian was wearing the 2003-04 Diadora made Scotland away jersey with a black cap and matching shades.
Despite his best efforts to cheer on from the stands, his team failed to bag all three points. After taking a lead through Scott McTominay’s diverted effort, the Scots failed to keep the lead after Xherdan Shaqiri exquisitely finished Anthony Ralston’s awful back pass as the match ended in a stalemate.
Following his sighting, there was mass confusion as the fans on social media tried to verify the fact that it was indeed Richard Gadd.
To end all the confusion, after the game, Gadd himself confirmed that it was indeed him. In an Instagram post he wrote, ‘Yes, it was me. What a game! Proud of the @scotlandnationalteam tonight.’ followed by two flags of his native country.
Gadd has a well-established passion for football which was evident when he celebrated Dundee United’s promotion. In April after The Tangerines secured promotion to the Cinch Premiership after getting relegated in the year prior, Gadd took to social media to congratulate his team.
‘Hello, Richard Gadd here. Lifelong Dundee United fan. Just wanted to say a massive congratulations to the entire squad and Jim Goodwin for gaining promotion back to the Premiership this season and for winning the Championship.’
He further added, ‘It was tense at times, you almost messed it up, but I’m very proud to say we’re back where we belong in the top tier of Scottish football.’
Gadd’s love for football is not only limited to an observer’s perspective and can easily be a set-piece specialist for a professional side. In 2020, he posted a video where he curled in a left-footer from outside the D-box, rooting the keeper in his spot. ‘Off to my first proper game of football since March. So to celebrate, here is an absolute banger!,’ the caption read.
Amidst the controversy surrounding Baby Reindeer, Gadd’s jovial visage on the screens surely lifted the weight of anxiety from his fans. As things stand in group A, Scotland has a lot to do to progress in the next round.
Not only will they need to beat Hungary in their final group game, Germany would also have to beat Switzerland soundly to close the goal difference gap. Progressing to the next round and potentially having another cameo from the comedian surely wouldn’t hurt the Caledonians.