George Michael Wrote 'Last Christmas' During a 1984 Football Match Watching Sunday
George Michael composed the iconic song "Last Christmas" in February 1984 while in his childhood bedroom. This creation happened as Andrew Ridgeley and their parents downstairs watched football, a Sunday winter afternoon featuring The Big Match on TV, which was then the only live football broadcast. Ridgeley identifies the specific game as the Sunday 12 February 1984 match between Luton Town and Manchester United, which ended 0-5, kicking off at 2:35 pm. It was the only live Sunday match that month, and Manchester United scorers included Robson, Stapleton, and Whiteside.
During this time, George Michael reportedly hurried from upstairs to record a melody after hearing Ridgeley’s tape recorder. This moment is closely linked to the song's creation. Notably, "Last Christmas" did not reach the Christmas No 1 chart position until 2023, being blocked in 1984 by Band Aid's "Do They Know It’s Christmas."
The article also highlights a football statistic from The Guardian Knowledge feature, noting that among 70 European Cup/Champions League winners, 30 were top of their domestic league at Christmas. English examples include Manchester United (1967-68) and Liverpool in 1980-81, 1983-84, and 2018-19 seasons. Some teams won European glory even though they were not leading domestically at Christmas, including Aston Villa (1980-81) and Manchester City (2018-19).
The Knowledge column is taking a Christmas break and will return on 7 January.
