NFL in Dublin: Steelers v Vikings celebrity fans watch as the build-up hots up - Irish Mirror

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The Pittsburgh Steelers need only turn to one of their most famous fans to learn about conquering Croke Park.

In the battle of the celebrity supporters of the two NFL sides facing off in an historic first regular season NFL game at Croker on Sunday, the Steelers hold the whip hand.

They have rapper Snoop Dogg and singer Christina Aguilera, they have actors Michael Keaton, Paul Rudd and Jason Momoa (possibly Jake Gyllenhaal and Robert Downey Jnr too), plus wrestler Kurt Angle.

But the Steelers also have Garth Brooks, the man who sold out Croke Park five nights in a row in 2022, some 25 years after first packing GAA HQ for three nights - and after the debacle in 2014 when he cancelled three gigs after Dublin City Council wouldn't grant permission for five.

Brooks has American football pedigree, he was a high school quarterback who attended Oklahoma State University but the Steelers captured his heart.

"Where I was from everybody was a Dallas Cowboys fan," said Brooks. "If I am going to go against the grain, the two teams going against Dallas at that point were the Washington Redskins and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

"Pittsburgh had (Jack) Lambert and (Jack) Ham. If you are a little kid and see those guys, that's who you want to be."

It is not yet known if Brooks will make an emotional return to Croke Park or if any of the celebrity fans of either of the two sides will make the trip across the Atlantic to Dublin 2 for the historic encounter.

The Vikings had a global superstar fan in Prince, who even wrote the team anthem 'Purple and Gold' 15 years ago, until the musical genius from Minneapolis passed away in 2016.

The singer Lizzo has given shout-outs to the Vikings on social media while Gene Simmons, the KISS singer, is also a supporter.

Claims that Sydney Sweeney is one aren't true - she's a Packers fan - but another White Lotus star, Carrie Coon, is.

Woody Harrelson - star of Cheers, True Detective and The Hunger Games, has been seen attending a training camp and Vikings games in recent years, despite an original link to the Bengals.

Like the Steelers, there's also a wrestling angle with the Vikings - Curtis Axel and Chris Jericho are counted among the Vikings' celebrity supporters.