Watch: Scottish soccer club's touching tribute to Tina Turner

Tina Turner performs during the The 50th Annual Grammy Awards at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Feb. 10, 2008. Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY, USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Content Services, LLC

Watch: Scottish soccer club's touching tribute to the late Tina Turner

By Clark Dalton | Last updated 5/24/23

Legendary singer Tina Turner died in her home near Zurich, Switzerland, at age 83 on Wednesday. As the world mourns her loss, one of the most moving tributes came during a soccer match in Glasgow, Scotland.

As Rangers F.C. and Hearts F.C. entered the pitch at Ibrox, the P.A. system played Turner's classic song "The Best," also known as "Simply The Best," and fans sang along.

Such a beautiful tribute from the @RangersFC supporters just moments ago. RIP Tina, you were simply the best https://t.co/1e5dgNdGj7 pic.twitter.com/EY5z1GSK6C
— Caleb McDowall (@Caleb13McD) May 24, 2023

Rangers F.C. adopted the 1989 song as their unofficial anthem during the team's golden era, from 1988 to 1997 when it won nine Scottish Premiership titles with stars such as manager Walter Smith and forward Ally McCoist.

The origin of the song's association with the team is unclear.

Per Lewis Anderson of Glasgow World, some suggest the affiliation with the song started when the BBC cut a highlight package to celebrate the team winning one of its titles. Others also claim Turner asked the club to play the song since she was associated with it, but this was never confirmed.

Nonetheless, it remains a club hallmark. In 2010, when the team was on the verge of winning a title again, fans tried to get the song to reach No. 1 on the United Kingdom charts. It successfully reached No. 9, and the club secured another title.

Turner had a massive impact worldwide. She was nicknamed the Queen of Rock, sold over 100 million records globally and won 12 Grammy awards.

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