Airwallex & Arsenal: Expanding Global Reach Through Football with Spike Lee-Directed Ad

Academy Award-winning filmmaker Spike Lee has directed his first-ever film for Arsenal Football Club, a two-minute advertising production titled “Who Are Ya?” that blends football culture with B2B finance themes. The film, created in partnership with Airwallex, features Arsenal legends Thierry Henry, Rachel Yankey and Martin Keown alongside current players Kai Havertz, Gabriel and Viktor Gyökeres, as well as actor Aaron Pierre and other Arsenal-supporting personalities.

Set in a North London pub on matchday, the advertisement captures the passionate debates football supporters routinely have, but redirects the conversation toward financial topics such as global transfers and payments. Lee employs his signature visual style, including the iconic ‘double dolly’ technique with Henry, to create a piece that feels both cinematic and authentically rooted in Arsenal culture.

The production marks Airwallex’s largest marketing investment in UK sport to date, representing a significant expansion of their partnership with the Premier League club. According to Arsenal’s official announcement, Lee became involved due to his lifelong support for the club, stating that what “really stayed with me is what the club stands for, its history, its culture, the way it reflects the world beyond the pitch.”

Lee emphasized that the film aimed to capture “real supporter energy—the passion, the debates, the humour” while highlighting how modern football fans engage with the business side of the sport. He noted that bringing Airwallex into the conversation felt natural because “fans today don’t just follow the game, they understand everything around it too.”

I’ve been riding with Arsenal for years – it started with Thierry. But what really stayed with me is what the club stands for, its history, its culture, the way it reflects the world beyond the pitch. With Who Are Ya?, I wanted to capture that real supporter energy—the passion, the debates, the humour.

Spike Lee, Arsenal.com

The film features a who’s-who of Arsenal greats and supporters, including club-record goalscorer Thierry Henry, defensive legend Martin Keown, women’s football pioneer Rachel Yankey, and current first-team players Havertz, Gabriel and Gyökeres. Arsenal-supporting actors Aaron Pierre, Jasmine Jobson and Nick Moran also appear, alongside other figures from film and television.

Airwallex described the initiative as tapping into the club’s “financially savvy fanbase” and building on their shared values of “always looking forward” and “relentlessly asking ‘what next’?” The campaign follows earlier out-of-home advertisements placed around Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium earlier in 2026.