The Football Match George Michael Watched While Writing Last Christmas
George Michael wrote the iconic song "Last Christmas" in February 1984 in his childhood bedroom while Andrew Ridgeley and their parents watched football downstairs. The football match they likely watched was The Big Match on ITV, the only live Sunday football broadcast in February 1984. This match took place on Sunday 12 February 1984, a Division One game where Manchester United defeated Luton 5-0. The game began on ITV at 2:35 pm and featured goals from Bryan Robson, Frank Stapleton, and Norman Whiteside for Manchester United.
Despite the enduring popularity of "Last Christmas," the song did not reach the Christmas No. 1 spot in 1984, as it was blocked by Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas." It eventually topped the charts in 2023.
In football history, there have been 70 European Cup/Champions League winners, with 30 of those teams leading their domestic leagues at Christmas. English clubs like Manchester United (1967-68) and Liverpool (1980-81, 1983-84, 2018-19) have achieved this distinction. However, some teams topped their domestic leagues at Christmas but failed to win Europe, such as Bayern Munich in the 1974-75 and 1975-76 seasons, and Real Madrid during the 1999-2000 slump. Nottingham Forest were 13th at Christmas 1979 before going on to retain the European Cup, and Aston Villa were 17th at Christmas in 1981-82 before progressing further.
Regarding Christmas Day football in Britain, the last full Christmas Day fixtures in Scotland took place in 1971, with Scotland staging matches on Christmas Day in 1976. England last played football on Christmas Day in 1959, including a match between Blackburn and Blackpool. A planned 1983 Brentford versus Wimbledon game scheduled for Christmas Day was moved to Christmas Eve.
