Ed Sheeran celebrates the anniversary of 'Merry Christmas' by taking Elton John to a football game
They went to see their childhood teams play
As 2023 draws to a close, Ed Sheeran is celebrating two years since his duet with Elton John 'Merry Christmas' was released. The song became a Number 1 hit on its release in December 2021, and now to celebrate its second anniversary, the pair decided to go on a trip to see their football teams play each other, while also swapping Christmas presents.
Ed, who is an Ipswich Town fan bought legendary singer Elton John an Ipswich Town Christmas jumper, while Elton returned the favour with a Watford FC Christmas jumper. The pair also pulled a couple of crackers as they prepared to watch their teams in action.
Sharing the video on Instagram, Ed wrote: 'Went with @eltonjohn to watch our boyhood teams play each other, to celebrate 2 years of Merry Christmas. Out now on all platforms, and Merry Christmas you wonderful people x'. (sic)
Since sharing the video, fans of both singers have been leaving comments. One fan wrote: 'I’m the red headed waitress in the back🙋🏼♀️Excited & Nervous is an understatement 😂🤍', another commented: 'Your friendship is so cute 😂❤️'.
Elton also replied: 'Thanks for the jumper, @teddysphotos! Hope you wear yours with pride! 🐝🚀'.
Watch the music video for Ed Sheeran and Elton John's 'Merry Christmas':
You can hear plenty of Christmas songs and songs by Ed Sheeran on Cool FM.
Take a look through Ed Sheeran's collaborations over the years:
‘If I Could’ with Wiley
Released in 2011, this R&B grime tune cruised its way into the UK Charts. English rapper Wiley is no stranger to a chart hit, known for big tunes such as 'Wearing My Rolex' and 'Heatwave'.
‘Everything Has Changed’ and 'End Game' with Taylor Swift
Hitting the UK Top 10, 'Everything Has Changed' was certainly a collab to remember back in 2013. Teaming up with mega-star Taylor Swift again in 2017 with 'End Game', these two showed us they really know how to make a banger!
‘Lay It All on Me’ and ‘Bloodstream’ with Rudimental
Ed has joined forces with Rudimental several times, providing us with big hits including 'Lay It All On Me' and 'Bloodstream'. Both songs made it to the UK Top 20, with 'Bloodstream' hitting the impressive Number 2 spot.
‘Perfect Duet’ with Beyoncé
In 2017, Beyoncé and Ed went straight to the top of the charts with this gorgeous duet. The song was an acoustic version of Ed's smash-hit 'Perfect'.
‘Perfect Symphony’ and ‘This Is the Only Time’ with Andrea Bocelli
The re-imaginations of Ed's 'Perfect' didn't stop there! Teaming up with Italian singer-songwriter Andrea Bocelli, the pair released the 'Perfect Symphony', featuring stunning Italian vocals from both Andrea and Ed.
‘River’ with Eminem
In 2017, Ed joined forces with music giant Eminem with 'River'. The song was, undeniably, a HUGE hit, gliding its way to the Number 1 spot in the UK Charts.
‘I Don't Care’ with Justin Bieber
And who can forget this iconic collaboration between Ed and Justin Bieber? 2019 saw the pair team up to bring us the playful 'I Don't Care', which cruised to Number 1 in several countries, including the UK.
‘Best Part of Me’ with Yebba
Pairing up with American singer YEBBA, we were all gifted with the gorgeous song 'Best Part Of Me' in 2019. Abbey Smith, better known as YEBBA, has teamed up with other huge names in the past such as Mark Ronson, Sam Smith and Rudimental. The song has since been certified Gold.
‘Antisocial’ with Travis Scott
This lively bop was the product of an incredible collaboration between Ed and Travis Scott. Travis, known for hits like 'SICKO MODE' and 'BUTTERFLY EFFECT', has worked with other huge names such as Quavo, The Weeknd, Kanye West and The 1975.
‘South of the Border’ with Camila Cabello and Cardi B
Later in 2019 the singer joined forces with Camila Cabello and Cardi B to bring us 'South of the Border'. The spicy collab was incredibly popular with fans, hitting Number 4 in the UK Singles Chart.
'Take Me Back to London' and 'Own It' with Stormzy
'Take Me Back to London' saw the pair reach Number 1 on the UK Singles Chart, following the release of its remix. Fans went wild for the collaboration between the two, buzzing over Stormzy's vibrant energy mixing with Ed's melodic talents — so it's no wonder the song has been certified 3x Platinum. They teamed up once again for Stormzy's track 'Own It'.
'Merry Christmas' with Elton John
In 2021, Ed and Elton teamed up to create a Christmas track called 'Merry Christmas'. They also released a music video which includes scenes from different famous festive films.
The pair went on to work with social media influencer LadBaby to create a charity Christmas single called 'Sausage Rolls For Everyone'.
'The Joker and The Queen' with Taylor Swift
Ed Sheeran revealed in February 2022 that he was going to release a version of this song 'The Joker and The Queen' with Taylor Swift. The music video was released later that week.
The video sees Ava Ames and Jack Lewis reprise their roles nearly a decade after they first appeared in Taylor Swift's song 'Everything Has Changed' with Ed Sheeran.
'Bam Bam' with Camila Cabello
Camila teamed up with Ed again in 2022 on 'Bam Bam'. The catchy tune reached Number 7 in the UK Singles Chart.
'2Step' with Lil Baby
Lil Baby featured on a new version of Ed's album track '2Step'. The song's music video was recorded in Kyiv, the capital city of Ukraine before the war started.
Ed announced throughout May he would be sharing some 'incredible remixes' of the song, starting with one by the Ukrainian band Antytila.
'My G' with Aitch
Ed teamed up with Aitch on 'My G', which was released in August 2022. The song is dedicated to Aitch's younger sister, Gracie, with Aitch describing Ed as his sister's favourite artist.
Now read:
Ed Sheeran's Christmas song with Elton John 'Merry Christmas'
Ed Sheeran: Get to know more about the 'Eyes Closed' singer
Ed Sheeran's career journey: From street busker to global superstar