Best Songs From Football Video Games

Pitch Perfect

Since soccer simulations became the staple of the video game market in the late nineties, their soundtracks have included the most fresh and groovy tunes of the day. From seasoned performers to breakthrough acts, artists from across the globe have taken a shot at the ever-growing virtual market, aiming to boost their popularity amongst the angry youths driven off street corners and onto their consoles.

Fatboy Slim, Keane and the Hoosiers have all scored hits after their tracks were featured with EA Sports' FIFA franchise. So, against such stiff competition, which songs have I got hidden in my historic boot locker?

Irish Blood English Heart - Morrissey (FIFA 05)
Kicking off my list is a classic tune of misanthropic protest from the most angry of former front men. In late 2004 adrenaline-pumped gamers were treated to a rant against Oliver Cromwell, party politics and nationalism. It was a left-field choice for both EA and Morrissey himself but the ex-Smith tuned into the petty antagonisms felt by thousands of control-twitching fanatics. Frankly, that nonchalant guitar intro was wasted on the banal menu screens.

Eat My Goal - Collapsed Lung (LMA Manager 2001)
Don't act coy; you know the chorus just as well as I do. LMA Manager thankfully dispensed with the verses entirely, playing the shortened version on a loop during each saving pause. However the game was only available on the first Playstation so it took a very long time to store any memory data. After a while Collapsed Lung's simple chant started to become ingrained in my own squishy pink memory card too. Ah, nostalgia!

Club Foot - Kasabian (Pro Evolution Soccer 5)
Club Foot is another classic footy anthem to get the blood pumping. Sky Sports has also been known to use its raving, shouty antics to get 'the lads' hyped before a big game. Most gamers would sit through the full loading intro just to hear the song again. For a track with some very odd lyrics, Kasabian's product is an absolute scorcher to jump around to. Why has their following output, including Empire, Fire and Shoot the Runner not found itself on a sports game yet?

Dy-Na-Mi-Tee - Miss Dynamite (FIFA 03)
Stop sniggering! History has been unkind to the Mercury-winning bad lass of early noughties R&B. Miss Dynamite's title track was perfect for anyone taking a break from the rigours of career mode to chill in the main menu. I may not be an expert on music but Dy-Na-Mi-Tee sounds like an original melody with plenty of exciting elements. The FIFA franchise has not had a particularly good record when it comes to grunge but this seems to be the closest EA made it to kitchen sink pop.

Young Folks - Peter Bjorn and John (FIFA 10)
Ooh, I don't mind a bit of whistling. Of all the songs that have appeared in a FIFA game, Peter Bjorn and John's odyssey into Scandi-rootin'-tootin' is by far the most memorable. So what if it pretends to be an insufferable hipster?

Disagree? Post your own favourites below.