Why we love Martin Garrix's UEFA Euro 2020 collaboration with Bono and The Edge

At a time where team sports have never been so important, U2's Bono and The Edge have teamed up with Martin Garrix for an emotional song entitled We Are The People, released to promote the 2020 UEFA European Football Championship this Summer.

Bono performing live in Miami, 2017 / Photo Credit: Ron Elkman/SIPA USA/PA Images

The dismay was palpable across the continent when it was announced that Euro 2020 would inevitably have to be postponed a year thanks to COVID-19 pandemic, but now that UEFA are bringing last year's event to us imminently (and under the same name too), the excitement is doubled.

We Are The People is the epic new theme song to the most exciting football event of the year, and it doesn't disappoint. It's a soaring, sunny anthem which perfectly encapsulates the emotion behind football; the unity, the excitement, the shared exhilaration, and in a world so plagued by political unrest and, well, the actual plague, we need to be reminded of the things that may feel, on balance, more trivial. 

"Creating the music for one of the biggest sports events in the world together with Bono and The Edge has been an incredible experience", said Martin Garrix in a statement. "I’m very proud of what we did together and excited to finally share it with the world!"

Football is what brings people of all walks of life together, delivering a moment of euphoria during the more difficult times, and even when things don't go the way we hope, that shared disappointment with fellow supporters reminds us that we're part of something. 

Reflecting this ethos is the accompanying video which, shot in London, features a diverse range of football fans including mature supporters and female players, and fans of all colours and creeds, because football should also be seen as an inclusive sport.

No-one could put it better than UEFA marketing director Guy-Laurent Epstein, who said in a statement: "Football and music have the power of bringing people together. They are vectors of passion and emotion and combining them will extend further the fan celebration of the tournament, as well as reaching out to new audiences."

The Euro 2020 tournament is set to take place between June 11th and July 11th 2020. It will kick off at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome with Turkey Vs. Italy, and the semi-finals and finals will take place at London's Wembley Stadium.